Otherness and Haunting Spectres. A Critical Posthumanist Reading of the Series"Rick and Morty"

Alexander Bärtl

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Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2021 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Kultur und Landeskunde, Note: 2,0, Technische Universität Dresden (Ang...

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Studienarbeit aus dem Jahr 2021 im Fachbereich Anglistik - Kultur und Landeskunde, Note: 2,0, Technische Universität Dresden (Anglistik), Veranstaltung: The Posthuman, Sprache: Deutsch, Abstract: For a long time, humans self-evidently considered themselves as the centre of the world and all beings, creating hierarchies among species and within humanity itself. This world view is based on humanist values and conceptions such as 'otherness' through which human identify themselves and, apparently, get integrity. Due to various reasons, humanism and its idea(l)s and perceptions are more and more being called into question and criticized. Thus, this paper engages in an approach to have a critical posthuman look at literature. For this purpose, the series Rick and Morty (2013), which has become part of popular culture and reveals numerous posthuman(ist) motives and topics, will be analyzed with regard to the following research question: Is Rick and Morty motivated by a posthumanist drive that permanently questions the dynamics of otherness which underlies humanism? Following from this, further questions arise and will be dealt with: How is otherness depicted? In which way are otherness and haunting spectres connected with each other? It will be shown that especially through the process of othering, namely, on the one hand, by creating otherness and, on the other hand, by transferring (or imaging) humanist conception to (or via) another species, the very foundation of human(ist) self-conception is being exhibited, reflected, and shattered. Moreover, the analysis will emphasize how Rick and Morty raises criticism and awareness on both humanism and posthumanism, that is its implicit appeal to radically rethink humanist value in order to survive in and (synergetically) connect with an environment and a society that experience radical, especially technological and existential change In literature, posthuman motives and topics can most strikingly be found in the genre of science fiction as it constantly strives to create new worlds and realities within the logics of science and, therefore, reconsiders and engenders criticism on the extratextual world. However, literary texts of science fiction still contain moments, structures, or endings that draw on rather humanist values and expectations, e.g. by dealing with a crisis by humanist means. These literary mechanisms can often only be identified by stepping out of and breaking through the boundaries of a humanist way of reading.