Redefining boundaries between human and nonhuman in The Stone Gods by Jeanette Winterson

Abstract

The article discusses the human—nonhuman relationship in The Stone Gods (2007) by Jeanette Winterson. The goal of the article is to show how the novel questions the boundary between the human and the nonhuman—Billie and a Robo sapiens—Spike. The article applies transhumanist and posthumanist theory while acknowledging the elements distinguishing both from each other. Its main argument is that genetic augmentation in the form of Genetic Fixing and widespread technologization of life can be viewed as a representation of the transhumanist ideology, while the entanglement between the characters unravels the posthumanist message of the novel, which negotiates the dichotomy between human and nonhuman.

Keywords

• transhumanism
• posthumanism
• nonhuman
• the stone gods
• humanoid
• enhancement