earticle

영어

This paper examines N. K. Jemisin’s novella “The Effluent Engine” from the perspective of New Materialism. “The Effluent Engine,” exploring the relational dependency between humans and non-human entities, addresses issues of imperialism, race, gender, and sexuality within a steampunk atmosphere. In turn, New Materialism, which transcends binary oppositions and constructs a new conceptualization of difference, provides a meaningful methodology for interpreting Jemisin’s narrative. As a woman of color and a writer, Jemisin actively utilizes the genre characteristics of sci-fi to express her voice. Jemisin’s narratives, which celebrate diversity as a source of wonder and admiration rather than fear and control, hold significant political implications. In Jemisin’s speculative fiction, ‘the Others’ transform dynamic agents of action. Moreover, the cross-species alliances they form with non-human entities are materially interconnected networks that demand us to reflect on who we are, and how we can maintain openness, multiplicity, and non-hierarchical perspectives as embodied collectives. Her stories empower those who have been defined as the Others. Departing from our conventional modes of thought and through an exploration of flow and interconnectedness, Jemisin’s narratives contemplate the value of diversity in cultural, political, cognitive, and ethical dimensions. This journey is a kind of materialistic mapping of situated, or embedded and embodied, positions. Jemisin’s cartography is a theoretically-based and politically-informed reading of the present. Ultimately, with the vision of Afrofuturism, Jemisin aims to offer a profound exploration within the context of a future where human and non-human elements, multiple races and genders, and sexuality are newly positioned.