Dissertação de Mestrado
Creator and creature in William Gibson´s "Neuromancer": the promethean motif in science fiction
Fecha
2008-04-24Autor
Newton Ribeiro Rocha Junior
Institución
Resumen
The human pursuit of knowledge is the core of the Prometheus myth and science fiction (SF). The punishment of Prometheus is a reflection of the double nature of knowledge: it can be used for the benefit or the destruction of humanity. SF shares this topic, representing the complex relation between the human race and knowledge through many forms: the encounter with alien cultures and extraterrestrials, the consequences of technological development, and the confrontation between civilization and its creations. SF works are contemporary representations of the Promethean drama, especially in the narratives that deal with the relation between creators and creatures. This relation is a reaction to what Hans Blumenberg calls the "absolutism of reality": humankind's belief that it cannot fully control the conditions of its existence. The creator-versus-creature drama in SF evolves through a progressive selection of narratives that aim to give the Prometheus myth a final interpretation. From the monstrous creature of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein to the godlike artificial intelligences of William Gibson's Neuromancer, the relation between creator and creature in SF developed into new and complex configurations. SF's cyberpunk genre attempts to overcome the creator and creature dichotomy through the humanization of the creature and the objectification of human identity, summarized in the figure of the cyborg. Contemporary cyberpunk literature unifies humankind and its machines in a post human existence, where the differences between organic and artificial self-awareness are demoted. The Prometheus myth is then turned into a quest of identity by beings that are both creators and creatures.