Interfaces entre o pós-humano e o feminismo no conto "The Man Doll", de Susan Swan

Abstract

This article investigates the convergences between gender, science fiction and post-humanism that are presented in the short story “The Man Doll” (1998), in the book Stupid Boys Are Good to Relax With (1998), by Canadian novelist, Susan Swan. The short story is already translated into Portuguese, entitled “O boneco” (1998), by Susana Funk, and was published in a collection that brings together Canadian short stories. The main focus of the narrative analysis is to examine the correlations between the work in focus and the feminist theories that problematize the postmodern reality at the end of the 20th century. The authors who provide the theoretical subsidies for the realization of the investigative speculations in the present work are: Donna Haraway, Rosi Braidotti and Tomaz Tadeu, that expand discussions on feminism and post-humanism. The methodology used was of bibliographic nature, and the analysis was directed by studies in the literary and cultural spheres. The present discussion aims to point out the conflicting relationships between the human and the post-human beings based on theorizations focused on gender and science issues, and how they are still seen in a traditionalist and gendered society. However, at the same time, the narrative in focus reverses the power relations imposed in a patriarchal society, in the sense that there is a female scientist with knowledge and power situated in a hierarchical layer superior to that occupied by the machine, which is exposed in the story as a heterosexual cyborg. However, science fictions that address gender and post- humanism issues are still little discussed in Brazil. As a result, I find that 1) we were able to expand the discussion of gender studies and reflections regarding post-humanism in the light of Literary Studies; 2) as well as deepening the debate on science fiction narratives, with the “The Man Doll”, thus contributing to its circulation and expansion of its critical fortune.