CONCEPTUAL METAPHORS OF EXPRESSING TRANSHUMANISM IN “SPRAWL” TRILOGY BY WILLIAM GIBSON

Abstract

In the article, the author studies the stylistic means for expressing transhumanism in William Gibson’s debut cyberpunk “Sprawl” trilogy, which touches in particular on social, moral and ethical problems of high technologies. The purpose of the article is to study those conceptual metaphors in Gibson’s trilogy that figuratively actualize the TRANSHUMANISM concept. To achieve this goal, the author examines the stylistic means of expressing the fantastic world and the conceptual metaphors formed by them, and then analyzes how the positive (+), negative (-) or neutral labeling (?) of these metaphors conveys Gibson’s attitude to transhumanism in general. In sum, Gibson’s message is contradictory (ambivalence or neutrality (9?) prevails over positive (7+) and negative (5-) labeling): TRANSHUMANISM IS THE NORM (+/?); REALITY IS UNHAPPINESS / DEATH (-); HUMAN IS A MACHINE (?/-); CYBORGISATION IS VIOLENCE (-); VIRTUALITY IS SPACE (?); CYBERSPACE IS A SECRET (?); CYBERSPACE IS SUPERPOWERS (+); CYBERSPACE IS A SECOND LIFE (+/?); ANOTHER WORLD (CYBERSPACE) IS PARADISE (+) / HELL (-); CYBERSPACE IS HAPPINESS (+); HACKER IS ENTRY (?); CYBERSPACE IS A FRONTIER (+); HACKER IS A COWBOY (+); POSTHUMAN IS CONSCIOUSNESS (?); WEALTH IS THE QUEST OF IMMORTALITY (?); IMMORTALITY IS HALF-LIFE (-); CYBERSPACE IS A NETWORK/WEB (?).