Fictions, fantasies, and fears: The literary foundations of the cl oning debate

Brigitte Nerlich; David D Clarke; Robert Dingwall

doi:10.1515/jlse.30.1.37

Article

Fictions, fantasies, and fears: The literary foundations of the cl oning debate

, and

Published/Copyright: March 13, 2008

Published by

Become an author with De Gruyter Brill

Author Information Explore this Subject

From the journal Volume 30 Issue 1

Abstract

The debate about cloning and genetic engineering, which began in 1997, has been strongly influenced by fictional narratives, scripts, and images. They in turn provided the seeds for the creation of various metaphors used in the debate, especially by the media. The flow of metaphors and images associated with cloning is now ebbing away and is being replaced by a new wave of images and metaphors deployed in arguments against genetically modified food. In both cases, cloning and genetically modified food, the media reports are interwoven with more or less explicit references to science fiction novels and films, from Frankenstein to Gattaca and beyond. They nourish and reflect the general public's fears about an increasing process of biological hybridisation which blurs the boundaries between humans, plants, animals, and machines and threatens people's sense of humanity.

Published Online: 2008-03-13

Published in Print: 2001-04-01

You are currently not able to access this content.

Articles in the same Issue

https://doi.org/10.1515/jlse.30.1.37