Representation and experience of marginalized bodies in Octavia E. Butler's Earthseed duology

Abstract

This article presents a critical reading of the novels Parable of the Sower (2018) and Parable of the Talents (2019) by the African-American author Octavia E. Butler, focusing on the analysis of the different representations and experiences of marginalized bodies in these dystopic productions. In the context of these narratives, it is understood that marginalized bodies are those who suffer most from the effects of an unstoppable capitalist exploitation, a climate crisis with no precedents and the inability of government administration. This category includes bodies of different races, genders, ages and others. The theoretical support used comprises mainly notions of body exposed in the works A sociologia do corpo (2007), by David Le Breton, Microfísica do Poder (1998), by Michel Foucault and Changing Bodies in the Fiction of Octavia Butler: Slaves, Aliens, and Vampires, by Gregory Hampton (2010).