“We call ourselves lords of the creation” : hubris masculin et apocalypse féminine dans The Last Man de Mary Shelley

The aim of this article is to highlight the proto-ecofeminist undertones of Mary Shelley’s 1826 novel The Last Man. The novel depicts the annihilation of humankind due to a mysterious plague spreading at the end of the 21st century. The plague is associated to a feminine principle and appears to be...

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Main Author: Garance Abdat
Format: Article
Language:fra
Published: Pléiade (EA 7338) 2022-04-01
Series:Itinéraires
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/itineraires/10284
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author Garance Abdat
author_facet Garance Abdat
author_sort Garance Abdat
collection DOAJ
description The aim of this article is to highlight the proto-ecofeminist undertones of Mary Shelley’s 1826 novel The Last Man. The novel depicts the annihilation of humankind due to a mysterious plague spreading at the end of the 21st century. The plague is associated to a feminine principle and appears to be a natural reaction meant to punish the Western “master mentality” and its consequences upon the natural world. This dynamic ecology posits the necessity of the apocalypse to cleanse the Earth of man’s actions, and reveals the secondary role played by humankind. It also develops a counter-utopia promoted by women and based on the extension of the ethics of care towards the natural world.
format Article
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publisher Pléiade (EA 7338)
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spelling doaj-art-c370cb88f5154aa5a025e076ee8b08352025-08-20T02:26:35ZfraPléiade (EA 7338)Itinéraires2427-920X2022-04-012021110.4000/itineraires.10284“We call ourselves lords of the creation” : hubris masculin et apocalypse féminine dans The Last Man de Mary ShelleyGarance AbdatThe aim of this article is to highlight the proto-ecofeminist undertones of Mary Shelley’s 1826 novel The Last Man. The novel depicts the annihilation of humankind due to a mysterious plague spreading at the end of the 21st century. The plague is associated to a feminine principle and appears to be a natural reaction meant to punish the Western “master mentality” and its consequences upon the natural world. This dynamic ecology posits the necessity of the apocalypse to cleanse the Earth of man’s actions, and reveals the secondary role played by humankind. It also develops a counter-utopia promoted by women and based on the extension of the ethics of care towards the natural world.https://journals.openedition.org/itineraires/10284careepidemicsapocalyptic literatureecofeminismscience-fiction
spellingShingle Garance Abdat
“We call ourselves lords of the creation” : hubris masculin et apocalypse féminine dans The Last Man de Mary Shelley
Itinéraires
care
epidemics
apocalyptic literature
ecofeminism
science-fiction
title “We call ourselves lords of the creation” : hubris masculin et apocalypse féminine dans The Last Man de Mary Shelley
title_full “We call ourselves lords of the creation” : hubris masculin et apocalypse féminine dans The Last Man de Mary Shelley
title_fullStr “We call ourselves lords of the creation” : hubris masculin et apocalypse féminine dans The Last Man de Mary Shelley
title_full_unstemmed “We call ourselves lords of the creation” : hubris masculin et apocalypse féminine dans The Last Man de Mary Shelley
title_short “We call ourselves lords of the creation” : hubris masculin et apocalypse féminine dans The Last Man de Mary Shelley
title_sort we call ourselves lords of the creation hubris masculin et apocalypse feminine dans the last man de mary shelley
topic care
epidemics
apocalyptic literature
ecofeminism
science-fiction
url https://journals.openedition.org/itineraires/10284
work_keys_str_mv AT garanceabdat wecallourselveslordsofthecreationhubrismasculinetapocalypsefemininedansthelastmandemaryshelley