Cyberspace and Simulacra: Exploring Hyperreality, Identity, and the Postmodern Condition in William Gibson’s Neuromancer
0
조회
0
다운로드
0
인용
0
참고문헌
키워드
초록
This paper explores the interplay of simulacra, cyberspace, and hyperreality in William Gibson’s Neuromancer, placing the novel as a seminal text that encapsulates the postmodern condition. Holding on the theoretical point of view of Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard, and Fredric Jameson, the study examines how Gibson constructs a fictional universe where reality is indistinguishable from simulation. The cyberspace matrix in Neuromancer functions not merely as a narrative setting but as a symbolic domain where signs precede and replace the real, illustrating Baudrillard’s concept of the hyperreal. The protagonist Case’s incorporeal navigation through virtual networks reflects a crisis of identity, highlighting the sinking stable selfhood in the technologically advanced environments. This paper argues that the novel captures the sensory and psychological ambiance of postmodernity—characterized by data saturation, media convergence, and the collapse of grand narratives—offering an analytical lens through which we understand contemporary digital culture. Through close textual analysis, the research underscores the novel’s contribution to cyberpunk aesthetics and its relevance to ongoing discourses in media theory, postmodern philosophy, and technocultural studies.
Abstract
This paper explores the interplay of simulacra, cyberspace, and hyperreality in William Gibson’s Neuromancer, placing the novel as a seminal text that encapsulates the postmodern condition. Holding on the theoretical point of view of Jean Baudrillard, Jean-François Lyotard, and Fredric Jameson, the study examines how Gibson constructs a fictional universe where reality is indistinguishable from simulation. The cyberspace matrix in Neuromancer functions not merely as a narrative setting but as a symbolic domain where signs precede and replace the real, illustrating Baudrillard’s concept of the hyperreal. The protagonist Case’s incorporeal navigation through virtual networks reflects a crisis of identity, highlighting the sinking stable selfhood in the technologically advanced environments. This paper argues that the novel captures the sensory and psychological ambiance of postmodernity—characterized by data saturation, media convergence, and the collapse of grand narratives—offering an analytical lens through which we understand contemporary digital culture. Through close textual analysis, the research underscores the novel’s contribution to cyberpunk aesthetics and its relevance to ongoing discourses in media theory, postmodern philosophy, and technocultural studies.