The Roadblocks to Creating the Perfect Human: An Examination of Transhumanism in Jeanette Winterson’s Frankissstein and Ian McEwan’s Machines Like Me

Abstract

Frankissstein (2019) and Machines Like Me (2019) are both very transhumanistic novels. They use the concept of transhumanism to make statements on the human condition, and the way transhumanism might change or abstract the human condition. Although they both speculate on a transhumanistic future, they are very relevant contemporary human life, exposing humanity’s strengths and flaws. In their engagement with transhumanist discourse, both books discuss to what extent post-humans should have human rights, by evaluating what makes one human in the first place. Ultimately both books are cautiously optimistic about humanity and transhumanism, affirming the good of humanity even while being critical of the bad.