The Posthuman in the Bildungsroman : An Examination of Never Let Me Go and
Riverdale .
Shaina Paggett ( MA in English Literatures , Keele University )
Abstract
The ‘ posthuman .’ A word commonly associated with artificial intelligence and extra-terrestrial life in the science-fiction genre , it is often forgotten that works closer to society as we know it today also experiment with the notion that certain people are more or less human than others . This paper seeks to examine the nature of these more subtle portrayals of posthumanism in the modern bildungsroman , focusing on Kazuo Ishiguro ’ s novel Never Let Me Go , and Netflix teen drama Riverdale , which has been producing episodes since 2017 . In particular , I will be considering the nature of organ donation in these texts , and the way in which societies create worlds where some lives are deemed as more important — more ‘ human ’ — than others .
Through the application of the works of postmodern theorists Baudrillard and Freud , I seek to examine how Never Let Me Go and Riverdale construct hegemonic societies which lead to characters accepting their designated role as ‘ posthuman ,’ and consenting to serve as the means through which other people can continue to live their lives , even at the expense of their own . This paper will also explore the concept of trauma in the creation of the ‘ posthuman ,’ and the ways that it is used and abused to make characters complicit in their own dehumanisation . I will argue that both texts take characters at their most vulnerable and impressionable ( their teenage years ) and create an environment in which they feel a sense of safety and belonging , manipulating this feeling of belonging to encourage them to consent to the degradation of their human worth that follows . However , in a world where trauma , emotion , and human connection