Evolving a New, Ecological Posthumanism: An Ecocritical Comparison of Michel Houellebecq’s Les Particules élémentaires and Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy

Abstract

In these early days of the twenty-first century, academics are still debating the significance of what it means to be posthuman. Various posthumanist theories have emerged, the most recognised being techno-posthumanism and multi-species posthumanism, as well as transhumanism, a separate movement often mistaken for techno-posthumanism. However, a comprehensive posthumanist theory that encompasses an ecologically minded posthumanism is yet to be developed. Through an exploration of two science fiction texts—Michel Houellebecq’s Les Particules élémentaires (1998) and Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam trilogy (2003–2013)—this chapter advances an ecological posthumanism informed by ecophilosophy and ecocritical theory. Fetherston argues that Atwood’s MaddAddam series embraces an ecologically considerate view, whilst Les Particules élémentaires presents an anthropocentric understanding that is unethical in the context of the modern environmental crisis.