Dongshin Yi

This dissertation considers the future convergence between gothic studies and\nhumanism in the age of posthumanism and proposes “cyborgothic” as a new literary\ngenre that heralds that future. The convergence under consideration is already in\nprogress in that an encounter between human and non-human consistently inspires the\ntwo fields, questioning the nature of humans and the treatment of such non-human\nbeings as cyborgs. Such questioning, often conducted within the boundary of humanities,\n

In an attempt to convert “Zombie Liberalism,” which is currently used to criticize American liberalism and even to signal its demise, into something that might help revive liberalism, this paper maps out some of the positive aspects of zombies and considers their potentials for liberalism. First of all, zombies that are being read, seen and watched have traditionally represented various philosophical and social issues related to human nature, colonialism, capitalism, technology and so forth. As

Taking note of a recent trend in zombie narratives, wherein non-zombie monsters appear as the main characters and thus cause ruptures in the conventional narrative structure that inhabits only zombie-to-human conflicts, this paper examines how this trend comes from the limitation of zombie narratives that, due to the ordinary and infectious nature of zombies, are unable to come to a conclusion by themselves. With their supernatural power or intelligence that helps map out the illusory point of o

Instead of looking at zombies as living beings that turn dead-alive, as ones that remind us of the living’s unavoidable vulnerability to death and the inorganic state before and after life, this paper aims to view zombies as things that show what things really are. This view of zombies draws upon the recent development of posthumanism, namely, new materialisms, where collective efforts are being made to discuss the importance of things, especially in this age of ecological catastrophe, and searc

Due to their eccentric and often controversial nature, H. G. Wells’s political writings have often been treated separately from his enormously popular scientific romances, and this trend ends up creating what Robert Shelton calls “two Wellses” in “Wellsian scholarship.” This paper, however, argues that there is an enduring relationship between Wells’s scientific romances and political writings. The former, which appeared early in his career, serve as a testing ground, where Wells experiments wit

Epitomized in Albert Hubo, a humanoid robot that was showcased at 2005 APEC in Busan, Korea’s robot industry has recently made such a stride that the Korean government has launched a plan to put a maid-robot in every household by 2020 and is in the process of drawing up “Robots Ethics Charter.” Although the government’s plan and the idea of the charter may seem exaggerated at this stage, the rapid development in the fields of robotics, bio-engineering and artificial intelligence makes it hard to

Abstract Asking “what is wrong with animal rights?” Kelly Oliver argues that “ethics must go beyond rights” and proposes “a sustainable ethics,” in which our “ethical responsibility” is to remain “responsive and nourishing.” While supportive of this ethical turn in human–animal relations, this article questions whether response, respect, and care are the ideal guidelines for human–animal relations for the following reasons: (1) given the sheer number of animals, our resources and capacities for

현대 사회에서 죽음이 과도하게 재현되면서 그 결과 간접적으로만 경험된다는 점을 지적하며, 본 글은 돈 드릴로(Don DeLillo) 의 White Noise에 나타난 재현 불가능한 죽음의 역할을 연구하고자 한다. 소설 내에서 대중 매체 위주로 이루어지는 죽음의 재현과정은 즉각적이며 동시에 보편적이다. 그 결과 소설 내 인물들은 죽음을 직접 경험하고 그 독특한 무의미의 중요성을 깊게 생각해보지 못하고, 대신 다양한 방식과 의미로 재현된 죽음을 소비하는 삶을 살아가고 있다. 하지만 드릴로의 소설은 순간순간 죽음의 재현과정을 멈추면서, 죽음이 단순히 소비의 대상이 아니라 누구도 이해할 수 없고, 재현할 수 없는 현실임을 상기시키고 있다. 이러한 순간에 초점을 맞추면서, 본 논문은 모리스 블랑쇼(Maurice Blanchot)의 이론을 바탕으로 재현이 불가능한 죽음에서 새로운 공동체의 가능성을 찾아내고자 한다. 즉 재현 불가능하고 무의미한 현실로서의 죽음은 결국 남의 죽음을 통해서만 경험이