The Holobiontic Figure: Narrative Complexities of Holobiont Characters in Joan Slonczewski’s Brain Plague
In this article, I propose to consider the holobiontic figure as a starting point for examining how literary narratives represent the holobiosis paradigm and its impact on narrative structure. A body of recent science fiction works is challenging the long-standing narrative of microbes as “bad germs...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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De Gruyter
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Open Cultural Studies |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1515/culture-2022-0201 |
| _version_ | 1827330731707203584 |
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| author | Brandt Teun Joshua |
| author_facet | Brandt Teun Joshua |
| author_sort | Brandt Teun Joshua |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this article, I propose to consider the holobiontic figure as a starting point for examining how literary narratives represent the holobiosis paradigm and its impact on narrative structure. A body of recent science fiction works is challenging the long-standing narrative of microbes as “bad germs” and the ever-evolving plot of the pandemic apocalypse by depicting humans as intricately interwoven with their microbial symbionts. The notion of the holobiontic figure, in this regard, serves as a point of reference for characters in the process of recognising themselves as holobionts. This article conducts a detailed exploration of the narratological aspects of the holobiontic figure through a reading of Joan Slonczewski’s novel Brain Plague. On the basis of this novel, two essential characteristics of the holobiontic figure are proposed and discussed: multiscalarity and multi-agency. With this, the article aims to provide answers to the question what happens when the scientific concept leaves the scientific discourse and moves between materials: how does it relate to the social world, what structures does it contest, and what conflicts does it provoke? |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T16:21:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-4c3cf34e50ce4a26b90694406f959844 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2451-3474 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T16:21:36Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | De Gruyter |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Open Cultural Studies |
| spelling | doaj.art-4c3cf34e50ce4a26b90694406f9598442024-03-04T07:28:18ZengDe GruyterOpen Cultural Studies2451-34742023-12-0171pp. 11110.1515/culture-2022-0201The Holobiontic Figure: Narrative Complexities of Holobiont Characters in Joan Slonczewski’s Brain PlagueBrandt Teun Joshua0Department of European Culture and Literature and the Department of Theoretical Philosophy, University of Groningen, Groningen, NetherlandsIn this article, I propose to consider the holobiontic figure as a starting point for examining how literary narratives represent the holobiosis paradigm and its impact on narrative structure. A body of recent science fiction works is challenging the long-standing narrative of microbes as “bad germs” and the ever-evolving plot of the pandemic apocalypse by depicting humans as intricately interwoven with their microbial symbionts. The notion of the holobiontic figure, in this regard, serves as a point of reference for characters in the process of recognising themselves as holobionts. This article conducts a detailed exploration of the narratological aspects of the holobiontic figure through a reading of Joan Slonczewski’s novel Brain Plague. On the basis of this novel, two essential characteristics of the holobiontic figure are proposed and discussed: multiscalarity and multi-agency. With this, the article aims to provide answers to the question what happens when the scientific concept leaves the scientific discourse and moves between materials: how does it relate to the social world, what structures does it contest, and what conflicts does it provoke?https://doi.org/10.1515/culture-2022-0201holobiont conceptmultispecies charactersscience fictioncomplex narrative |
| spellingShingle | Brandt Teun Joshua The Holobiontic Figure: Narrative Complexities of Holobiont Characters in Joan Slonczewski’s Brain Plague Open Cultural Studies holobiont concept multispecies characters science fiction complex narrative |
| title | The Holobiontic Figure: Narrative Complexities of Holobiont Characters in Joan Slonczewski’s Brain Plague |
| title_full | The Holobiontic Figure: Narrative Complexities of Holobiont Characters in Joan Slonczewski’s Brain Plague |
| title_fullStr | The Holobiontic Figure: Narrative Complexities of Holobiont Characters in Joan Slonczewski’s Brain Plague |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Holobiontic Figure: Narrative Complexities of Holobiont Characters in Joan Slonczewski’s Brain Plague |
| title_short | The Holobiontic Figure: Narrative Complexities of Holobiont Characters in Joan Slonczewski’s Brain Plague |
| title_sort | holobiontic figure narrative complexities of holobiont characters in joan slonczewski s brain plague |
| topic | holobiont concept multispecies characters science fiction complex narrative |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1515/culture-2022-0201 |
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