The Body and the Universe: On Corporeality in StanisΕaw Lemβs π
ππ‘π’ππ ππππ π‘βπ ππ‘πππ
Authors:
Lukasz
Kucharczyk
UKSW, Warsaw, Poland
Pages:
397-
407
Abstract:
This paper is concerned with the analysis of implicit and explicit meanings conveyed by Lemβs portrayal of the body and corporeality in his π
ππ‘π’ππ ππππ π‘βπ ππ‘πππ . In this novel about Hal Bregg, an astronaut who returns to Earth after a long voyage, the author employs Einsteinβs twin paradox: the protagonistβs journey lasted 10 years, but 127 years passed on Earth. Hal Bregg, who represents stereotypical masculinity, is confronted with a decadent and egalitarian society, which may be interpreted as a reunion between masculinity and femininity. Such a storyline enables the author to present the concept of corporeality in multiple dimensions, with the body itself being an epistemological metaphor of modernism and postmodernism. In addition, the body is depicted in π
ππ‘π’ππ ππππ π‘βπ ππ‘πππ as a mask, a disguise. In this context, the notion of aestheticisation and old age is touched upon. The body in Lemβs novel can also be interpreted as part of the Universe, the boundary between what the temporary and the infinite and transcendent. The human body also stands in opposition to the robotic body.
Keywords:
StanisΕaw Lem, π
ππ‘π’ππ ππππ π‘βπ ππ‘πππ , the body and the universe
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