Landscape as the Other in postcolonial science fiction
Abstract
Through the use of landscape and its disorienting properties in science fiction texts, the interaction of the hero with the environment in the process of identity formation becomes especially evident. The landscape, acting as a stranger, can either strengthen the identity of those who are in it, or, more often, alienate them and provoke a crisis or complete loss of identity for the characters. Therefore, the aim of this study is to identify the features of the representation of landscape as one of the forms of embodiment of the Other in postcolonial science fiction, and its influence on the identity of the characters. Postcolonial science fiction is a very interesting phenomenon, and its study in foreign and Russian literary studies is presented fragmentarily. The scientific novelty of this study lies in the fact that the works under consideration are becoming the object of study in Russian literary criticism for the first time. The concept of postcolonial science fiction is introduced into the Russian literary discourse, and the science fiction landscape is examined in the context of the postcolonial concept. As a result, it was found that postcolonial science fiction pays great attention to the trauma of displacement, since the environment plays a significant role in the formation of personality, and a change in environment (unusual landscape, culture, social structure, language), especially abrupt, leads to disorientation of the characters and even loss of their own identity.
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About this article
Publication history
- Received: October 7, 2024.
- Published: November 21, 2024.
Keywords
- постколониальная научная фантастика
- архетип «Другой»
- ландшафт в научной фантастике
- Нало Хопкинсон
- Вандана Сингх
- postcolonial science fiction
- archetype “Other”
- landscape in science fiction
- Nalo Hopkinson
- Vandana Singh
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