The Post is Female

Indianapolis, IN

The goal of my research project was to examine the importance of the female posthuman character within the longstanding male tradition of apocalyptic literature. Looking at the female posthuman within the context of the apocalypse is important because of what it shows about our contemporary culture: that we need to encourage a world where both males and females are presented as capable of presenting the apocalypse. The apocalypse is one of the most common and prevalent genres represented by our media today. Post-apocalyptic narratives have long been a male-dominated genre, and it is in recent years that females have begun to gain representation in literature and other forms of modern media. I specifically looked at the female posthuman protagonist in the young adult book series, Shatter Me. I chose to use contemporary literature to discuss the female posthuman because of how it shows the shifting gender dynamic our world is currently experiencing. When examining the female posthuman’s role in the long-standing male history of the apocalypse, several major historical and cultural influences arose. The impact of the Book of Revelations, the early posthuman examples of knights in armor, superhero rhetoric, and female empowerment that is dependent on sexual awakening. These factors have had, and continue to have, impacts on how we view gender empowerment in terms of saving the world. Concluding, it's critical to have literature where both males and females are equally represented with the power to change the world and prevent the apocalypse.