LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 14:10 October 2014
ISSN 1930-2940

Managing Editor: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.
Editors: B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         Sam Mohanlal, Ph.D.
         B. A. Sharada, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         Lakhan Gusain, Ph.D.
         Jennifer Marie Bayer, Ph.D.
         S. M. Ravichandran, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         L. Ramamoorthy, Ph.D.
         C. Subburaman, Ph.D. (Economics)
Assistant Managing Editor: Swarna Thirumalai, M.A.

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Cyberpunk:
A True Representative Fiction of the Postmodern Period
Gibson’s Neuromancer: A Case Study

Gayadri Devi. G


Abstract

Cyberpunk, a sub-genre of science fiction, is considered chiefly an American movement. It became established as a sub-genre with the publication of William Gibson’s Neuromancer in 1984. This paper would establish how cyberpunk became a representative fiction of its time, that is, the postmodern period. This is done by exploring the tendencies of postmodernist fiction as formulated by Brian McHale in the definitive cyberpunk text Neuromancer.

Cyberpunk is an avant-garde art form that understands these contemporary technological innovations and their implications on the human race. It seeks to understand the cyberspace and its features and then explore its effect on cyber society. This feature of cyberpunk has close parallels with the postmodern fiction. They both explore the problems like the role of multinationals, the crisis of subjectivity, the impact of technology (especially computers, information technology and genetic engineering), on society and the individual, etc.

The paper presents the characteristics of Postmodernist fiction and the contrasting or parallel world, dispersal of subjective, corporate hegemony, dystopic future, social consequences and change of culture codes.

Key Words: Cyperpunk, neuromancer, parallel worlds, dispersal of subjective, corporate hegemony, dystopic future, social consequences, change of culture codes.

Introduction

Cyberpunk, a sub-genre of science fiction, is considered chiefly an American movement. It became established as a sub-genre with the publication of William Gibson’s Neuromancer in 1984. The term was first used by Bruce Bethke in his short story in 1983. Later Gardner Dozois coined the term “cyberpunk” to describe Gibson’s novels. As the name suggests, cyberpunk focuses on computers and information systems and accompanied by breakdown in social order. Rudy Rucker while expounding cyberpunk describes punk as somebody who is young and intelligent and asks the hard questions that would bug all old people. The punk is an individual who doesn’t conform to society’s comfortable assumptions but questions them.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Ms. Gayadri Devi.G
Ph.D. Research Scholar
Department of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS)
IIT Bombay
Mumbai – 400076
Maharashtra
India
gayadri@iitb.ac.in
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