Bodies for Profit and Power: Science Fiction and Biopolitics

Early dystopian science fiction like George Orwell's 1984 or Thea von Harbou's Metropolis show us bleak worlds where capitalism has no boundaries and has corrupted sovereign powers, exploiting the lower classes and benefiting only a few at the top. Political laws and policies related to human life--or the biopolitical--devalue that life, making humanity little more than expendable "machines" producing for capitalism, and capitalism's focus on progress has made it a central concern in much of science fiction. Covering science fiction from the early 1900s to present, this book examines the portrayal of dystopian capitalism and the biopolitical in works like Brave New World and R.U.R., among many others.

Author: Lisa Wenger Bro
Publisher: McFarland and Company, Inc.
Published: 09/21/2023
Pages: 269
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.74h x 5.83w x 0.71d
ISBN13: 9781476679365
ISBN10: 1476679363
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Literary Criticism | Horror & Supernatural