Papers by Esther Muñoz-Gonzalez
International Journal of English Studies, 2024
It is at the intersection of Posthuman thought, Gothic narratives, and the New Weird mode where “... more It is at the intersection of Posthuman thought, Gothic narratives, and the New Weird mode where “Two Houses” from Kelly Link’s Get in Trouble (2016) can be framed. In the story, six female astronauts alternate years of hibernation and moments of wakefulness in search of a habitable planet. The House of Secrets spaceship is controlled by the AI Maureen. Isolated in space, the astronauts amuse themselves by telling ghost stories. Through the stories, the reader is gradually dislocated from the recognizable landscape of a technologically plausible speculative fiction story to be plunged into a Gothic world of murder, haunted houses, and ghosts. The purpose of this paper is to trace the intersection of Posthuman thought and Gothic characteristics in the story to discuss the slippery relationship between what we believe we are and what we actually are.
Journal of English Studies , 2022
In this article, an analysis is made of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985) and MaddAdda... more In this article, an analysis is made of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985) and MaddAddam (2013) from a gendered and generic perspective. The Handmaid's Tale was one of the novels that marked the dystopian turn in the 1980s writing of fiction, while MaddAddam is, for some critics, a feminist critical dystopia in which the ending retains hope for a better future. Consequently, both novels belong a priori to a specific branch of the dystopian genre: the feminist dystopian novel. However, some ambiguity or even contradictory readings can be inferred in both texts. This article explores The Handmaid's Tale and MaddAddam's portrayal of women and their acts of resistance in order to assess these texts' liberatory or still inherently conservative messages of their endings, especially regarding women.
Atlantis , 2021
This article examines Margaret Atwood's climate fiction novel MaddAddam (2013), a dystopian cauti... more This article examines Margaret Atwood's climate fiction novel MaddAddam (2013), a dystopian cautionary text in which food production and eating become ethical choices related to individual agency and linked to sustainability. In the novel, both mainstream environmentalism and deep ecologism are shown to be insufficient and fundamentally irrelevant in the face of a submissive population, in a state of passivity that environmental studies scholar Stacy Alaimo relates to a scientific and masculinist interpretation of the Anthropocene. The article focuses on edibility as a key element in negotiating identity, belonging, cohabitation and the frontiers of the new MaddAddam postapocalyptic community.
Traditions and Transitions, Vol. 2, 2019
The relationship between human beings and their environment has always been mediated by narrative... more The relationship between human beings and their environment has always been mediated by narratives trying to make sense of and represent the world, such as classical Greek myth, religion, and existentialism (Thacker 2011, 11). However, these anthropocentric approaches seem to be useless before the Anthropocene era and the possibility of a world without us. Ecocriticism, originated in the 1960s, was the first in adopting deep ecologist rhetoric which favored narratives on "wilderness experiences, or apocalyptic threats" (Garrard 2004, 176), intended to promote 'right' environmental actions. Yet, environmentalism has been strongly politicized and negatively stereotyped as fanaticism imposing an essential way of life. Even eco-conscious millennials do not share and even reject the old deep ecology precepts. Since the Anthropocene is born intrinsically intertwined with the threat of the Apocalypse, it becomes the subject matter for literary dystopias depicting nightmarish futures. Moreover, the awareness and questioning of human behavior and responsibility in the progressive change in our climate is the origin and source of a new, more specific literary trend: climate change fiction, also known as Cli-fi, to be found mainly within the dystopian genre, in which the personal and the political give way to the global. This paper intends to assess this movement from the depiction of a "phenomenon that requires individuals' engagement" (Johns-Putra 2016, 269) to a depiction of its global external effects and the fighting for survival, through the case study of Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale (1985) and Maddaddam (2013).
Revista de Estudios Norteamericanos 2019
Published in 1985, The Handmaid’s Tale is Margaret Atwood’s
most famous work and her first dystop... more Published in 1985, The Handmaid’s Tale is Margaret Atwood’s
most famous work and her first dystopian novel, since all her
previous fiction had adjusted to the conventions of realism. In
general the plot of any dystopia should be based on factuality, or
in other words, it has to be a plausible representation of the
future of a concrete society. However, either when the novel was
published or now that more than thirty years have passed, there
is no such thing as “handmaids.” Nothing of the sort exist in any
democratic country (Kay n.p.). However, as Chaterjee points out,
there are many “disturbing” overlaps between Atwood’s
handmaids’ struggle and the real experience and events that take
place in contemporary surrogacy agreements. (n.p.). This paper
examines Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale from a 21stcentury posthumanist perspective, which discusses the economic
and ethical implications and no insignificant shocking similarities
between the handmaids in the novel and our present-day
surrogate mothers.
Filanderas. Revista Interdisciplinar de Estudios Feministas, 2019
El cuento de la criada (Margaret Atwood), publi-cado originalmente en 1985, es una historia distó... more El cuento de la criada (Margaret Atwood), publi-cado originalmente en 1985, es una historia distópi-ca que se desarrolla en un futuro reconocible como cercano a nuestros días. En ella se cuenta cómo al-gunas mujeres se convierten en meros «úteros con piernas», forzadas a gestar los hijos de los poderosos comandantes, la jerarquía dominante en la república de Gilead, teocracia que ocupa el antiguo lugar de los Estados Unidos de América. Oportuna o atemporal, siempre controvertida, la novela aborda de frente mu-chos problemas todavía sin resolver en la sociedad occidental. Algunos críticos defienden su carácter con-temporáneo y clasifican la historia de El cuento de la criada como «una fábula de nuestros tiempos, como si el presente corriera a confirmar las advertencias direc-tas de Atwood sobre el uso de tecnologías en la ges-tación, polución del medio ambiente, abusos en los derechos humanos, fanatismo religioso y movimien-tos políticos de extrema derecha» (traducción propia, Bouson, 2010: 3-4). Si el argumento de cualquier dis-topia crítica debe estar basado en algún aspecto de la realidad, ya sea en factores históricos o en aspectos relacionados con la psicología humana, pensadoras como la conservadora Barbara Kay objetan que ni las relaciones entre géneros ni la influencia de fundamen-talistas religiosos como los cristianos evangélicos eran tan importantes en los años ochenta como para justi-ficar siquiera hipotéticamente la creación de un esta-do totalitario como Gilead.
Odisea Revista de Estudios Ingleses, 2018
The Autobiography of My Mother (Kincaid 1996) is Xuela’s story. Xuela as the narrator and protag... more The Autobiography of My Mother (Kincaid 1996) is Xuela’s story. Xuela as the narrator and protagonist of the novel “moves between the imaginary world of the text and the real world of Kincaid’s life” (Edwards 116-17). The Palimpsest metaphor shows to be useful to represent the ‘palimpsesting of her identity’ that Xuela does in her autobiography because the final perception of Xuela’s identity implies a selection of
experiences in which the visible surface makes it possible to perceive not only the young Xuela but that who never was and the life she did not allow herself to live.
Verbeia. Revista de Estudios Filológicos, 2018
The Ebony Tower (1975) is a self-conscious novella that constitutes a perfect example of John Fow... more The Ebony Tower (1975) is a self-conscious novella that constitutes a perfect example of John Fowles’s consistent reformulation, throughout his work, of themes—such as the oppositional pair creator versus collector, how birth and social class grant different opportunities in life, the difficulty to communicate—, mythical elements and the existentialist perspective. Considering that the novella follows scrupulously each stage in “the hero’s quest” (Campbell, 1993: 245), the purpose of this article is, firstly, to discuss the mythical elements in the novella and how the characters coincide on and depart from what can be expected from their mythical archetypes. And secondly, to prove that these mythical roles could have a patriarchal shape and may contribute to maintaining subjugated positions for the women whether as muses, collaborators or simply as sexual objects of desire and procreation.
Complutense Journal of English Studies, 2018
We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962) is a contemporary Gothic Novel in which women appear as... more We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962) is a contemporary Gothic Novel in which women appear as both villains and victims, subverting the traditional characterization of women in classic Gothic Fiction. The apparently innocent and selfless Constance and the young Mary Kate live isolated and absolutely dedicated to housewifery. Due to the recurrent presence of food in the novel and drawn by the significance of its omnipresence, the purpose of this article is to discuss the symbolic meaning of food based on a cultural approach and how the characters' relationship with food marks their social class, power position, anxieties, fears and desires within and outside the family. [es] El simbolismo de la comida y la reclusión traumática en We Have Always Been in the Castle Resumen. We Have Always Lived in the Castle (1962) es una novela gótica contemporánea en la que las mujeres son a la vez víctimas y villanas, invirtiendo así la representación tradicional de las mujeres en la ficción Gótica clásica. La supuestamente inocente y desinteresada Constance y la joven Mary Kate, viven aisladas y totalmente dedicadas a los quehaceres del hogar. Debido a la repetitiva presencia de la comida en la novela y llevado por su ubicuidad, el propósito de este artículo es debatir sus significados simbólicos desde una perspectiva cultural y cómo la relación de los personajes con la comida marca su clase social, posición de poder, ansiedades, miedos y deseos dentro y fuera de la familia.
Brno Studies in English, 2018
In this article an analysis is made of the first season of the television series The Americans fr... more In this article an analysis is made of the first season of the television series The Americans from a cultural perspective which shows the relevance of the series within the context of the first decades of the 21 st century. The series belongs to a specific genre that used to be masculine and mainly centered on the conflicts resulting from the confrontation between individual male loyalties and their identities conditioned by their belonging to a political order. By humanizing the usual villains in the spy genre, the series introduces a certain moral ambiguity and the idea that political ideologies lose their value in the face of individual motivations. This article explores the use of the conventions of the spy genre and how the model is adapted to allow for the treatment of present-day concerns related to the individual's struggle (now female as well) to reconcile public and private life.
Journal of English Studies, 2017
Although not a box office success and with serious flows regarding narrative structure and perfor... more Although not a box office success and with serious flows regarding narrative structure and performance, Blackhat (2015) is undoubtedly a film that shows its belonging to a specific context and historical moment: it reflects upon some of the worries, changes and consequences of the combination of new technologies and socio-political events. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the visual and aesthetic mechanisms the film uses to present firstly contemporary changes in communication and secondly present-day worries related to security and the risk society, which have triggered the expansion of surveillance systems. Finally, it will also address the ways through which this new network society affects and is the tool for the construction of new identities while it also changes our perception of reality.
Es review, 2017
This article analyses Maggie Gee's novel Lost Children (1994) from the combined perspectives of f... more This article analyses Maggie Gee's novel Lost Children (1994) from the combined perspectives of feminist and trauma theories. It contends that the sudden disappearance of the protagonist's teenage daughter triggers a psychological quest for the recovery of her voice and self, shattered by a traumatic experience she had in her childhood. My analysis, which pays especial attention to narratological issues-since this barely perceptible, insidious trauma is expressed both formally and thematically-shows that Alma's behaviour is representative of the worries, expectations and impositions that contemporary children and women are subject to in western society, still imbued by patriarchal models and rules of behaviour. Summary: Introduction. Narratological reflections: Subjectivity in the novel. Alma as trauma victim. Conclusions. Resumen: El artículo analiza la novela Lost Children (1994), de Maggie Gee, combinando dos perspectivas: la feminista y la de los estudios del trauma. El estudio sostiene que la inesperada desaparición de la hija adolescente desencadena el viaje sicológico de la protagonista. Este va encaminado a la recuperación de su voz e identidad, que habían sido destrozadas por una experiencia traumática en su niñez. Mi análisis, que presta especial atención a los aspectos narratológicos de la novela-pues el trauma, apenas perceptible e insidioso, se expresa a la vez formal y temáticamente-muestra que el comportamiento de Alma representa las preocupaciones, expectativas e imposiciones de las que son objeto los niños y mujeres en la sociedad occidental, en la que aún predominan los modelos y reglas de comportamiento patriarcal.
Books by Esther Muñoz-Gonzalez
Posthumanity in the Anthropocene Margaret Atwood's Dystopias, 2023
In this book, Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novels—The Handmaid’s Tale, the MaddAddam trilogy, The ... more In this book, Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novels—The Handmaid’s Tale, the MaddAddam trilogy, The Heart Goes Last, and The Testaments—are analyzed from the perspective provided by the combined views of the construction of the posthuman subject in its interactions with science and technology, and the Anthropocene as a cultural field of enquiry. Posthumanist critical concerns try to dismantle anthropocentric notions of the human and defend the need for a closer relationship between humanity and the environment. Supported by the exemplification of the generic characteristics of the cli-fi genre, this book discusses the effects of climate change, at the individual level, and as a collective threat that can lead to a "world without us." Moreover, Margaret Atwood is herself the constant object of extensive academic interest and Posthuman theory is widely taught, researched, and explored in almost every intellectual field. This book is aimed at worldwide readers, not only those interested in Margaret Atwood’s oeuvre, but also those interested in the debate between critical posthumanism and transhumanism, together with the ethical implications of living in the Anthropocene era regarding our daily lives and practices. It will be especially attractive for academics: university teachers, postgraduates, researchers, and college students in general.
Transhumanism and Posthumanism in Twenty-First Century Narrative, 2021
MaddAddam (2013) is the last novel of the trilogy with the same name that Margaret Atwood started... more MaddAddam (2013) is the last novel of the trilogy with the same name that Margaret Atwood started ten years before. The word “MaddAddam” is a palindrome that can evoke circularity, eternal return. Whether the ending of the dystopian trilogy supposes the eternal return of the same or a hopeful “repetition that saves” is what this chapter tries to discuss. This chapter shows that it is only when the human survivors learn that Craker/human reproductive abilities are still possible and both groups start to share memories and culture that the bonds between the posthuman and the human are established. Moreover, especial attention will be paid to the issues of fertility and motherhood—recurrent topics for Atwood that were already central in her most canonical work, The Handmaid’s Tale.“Posthuman motherhood” is approached both as a spiritual motherhood exemplified by Toby’s mentoring of the Craker child …
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Papers by Esther Muñoz-Gonzalez
most famous work and her first dystopian novel, since all her
previous fiction had adjusted to the conventions of realism. In
general the plot of any dystopia should be based on factuality, or
in other words, it has to be a plausible representation of the
future of a concrete society. However, either when the novel was
published or now that more than thirty years have passed, there
is no such thing as “handmaids.” Nothing of the sort exist in any
democratic country (Kay n.p.). However, as Chaterjee points out,
there are many “disturbing” overlaps between Atwood’s
handmaids’ struggle and the real experience and events that take
place in contemporary surrogacy agreements. (n.p.). This paper
examines Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale from a 21stcentury posthumanist perspective, which discusses the economic
and ethical implications and no insignificant shocking similarities
between the handmaids in the novel and our present-day
surrogate mothers.
experiences in which the visible surface makes it possible to perceive not only the young Xuela but that who never was and the life she did not allow herself to live.
Books by Esther Muñoz-Gonzalez
most famous work and her first dystopian novel, since all her
previous fiction had adjusted to the conventions of realism. In
general the plot of any dystopia should be based on factuality, or
in other words, it has to be a plausible representation of the
future of a concrete society. However, either when the novel was
published or now that more than thirty years have passed, there
is no such thing as “handmaids.” Nothing of the sort exist in any
democratic country (Kay n.p.). However, as Chaterjee points out,
there are many “disturbing” overlaps between Atwood’s
handmaids’ struggle and the real experience and events that take
place in contemporary surrogacy agreements. (n.p.). This paper
examines Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale from a 21stcentury posthumanist perspective, which discusses the economic
and ethical implications and no insignificant shocking similarities
between the handmaids in the novel and our present-day
surrogate mothers.
experiences in which the visible surface makes it possible to perceive not only the young Xuela but that who never was and the life she did not allow herself to live.