Then,whatdoesMoreaustandinthecircuitsofbio-power?AsIhave arguedabove,nomatterwhetheritisMoreauorPrendick,pro-vivisectionists oranti-vivisectionists,allofthem arestandingontheirrespectivenodalpoints spreadingacrossthesamebiopoliticalnetwork.Theonlyyetcrucialdifference isthatMoreau,incomparisontoPrendick,isafarmoreactiveadministrator ofthe biopoliticaldictates.Such ishisimmense passion forexperimental physiologythatheistheonlypersoninthenovellawhocancarrythedictates ofbio-powertoextremes,andfollow them totheirlogicalend.Whoelsecan bestserveasasynecdocheforthederailedbio-powerbutaderangedmedical scientist?Whoismorereadytoturnbio-powerinsideoutandshowsusits bloodyliningthananahead-of-timevanguard?
Forallhisfunctionasamouthpieceforbio-power,ithardlyescapesnotice thatMoreauisalsoavictim as“attenuated”ashiscreatures.GivenMoreauis amongthevictim ofthe“blindfate”(Moreau,96),itcomesasnosurprise thattheevidencepointinginthisdirectioncanmultiply.Forexample,justas BeastPeopleisbanishedtodensthatarenot“designated”inadvancetobe theirhabitats,sothatMoreauareexpelledtoanunchartedislandthat“hasn’t goaname”(Moreau,12).AfterMoreaudies,Prendicktakesoverhis“vacant scepter,”whichservesobviouslyinthiscontextasametonymyforanheirless sovereign(Moreau,117).Inmanyplaces,BeastPeoplearealsodescribedas
“vacant”asMoreau’sprecariousrule,totheextenttheir“offspring”iseither engineeredto“serveformeat,”orsimplydevouredbyBeastPeoplethemselves (Moreau,85).StillanotherexampleisthewayMoreauisslaughtered,which makeshim virtuallyacarboncopyofthebruteshehasvivisected:
Helayfacedownwardinatrampledspaceinacan-brake.Onehand
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wasalmostseveredatthewrist,andhissilveryhairwasdabbledin blood.Hisheadhadbeenbatteredinbythefettersofthepuma.The brokencanesbeneathhim weresmearedwithblood.(Moreau,105)
Being twisted outofshape,Moreau’s body is battered into a mass as amorphousas“thestubbornbeastflesh.”Asheliesouttherewithhisface
“downward” and his blood soaking the trampled cane-brake, the close proximityofhisfleshandtheearthisstronglysuggestiveofthe“spacing”of hisbeing,oftheirreparabletearin“thefabricofexistence.”
Infact,waybeforeheiscrushedintoamassof“fleshwithoutbody,”the being-thereofMoreau’sexistenceisalreadyyetindiscerniblybeingdescribed as“theexistencedeprivedoflife.”Whenfinishingexpoundinghistheorywith trenchancy and unrestrained passion,Moreau getsup to pressPrendick to expresshisview.Dumbfoundedandspeechless,Prendickjustsitstherewithout making a sound,albeitbecause he is deeply struck by the placidity of Moreau’scomplexionanddemeanor(Moreau,79).Withrepeatedemphasison Moreau’s composure－“calm eyes,” “serenity,” “his set tranquility”－and snow-white looks－“white-faced, white-haired”－Prendick tries leading his readerstobelievethe“magnificentbuild”loominglargeinfrontofhim isa lifelessyetbeautifulsaintstatuecarved in asereneposture(Moreau,79). Emergingassuchaholyicon,Moreauisthe“existencedeprivedoflife”par excellence.Heappearslifelessinthecircumstances,preciselybecauseheis largerandsmallerthanlifeatthesametime.Ontheonehand,heistoo saintlytobehimselfquaapitilessscientist.Ontheotherhand,sinceMoreau issuchanavidresearcherwho“mighthavepassedmusteramongahundred othercomfortableoldgentlemen”(Moreau,79),heisshortontheprestigehe deservesandappearsfarlessprominentthanheissupposedtobe.Now too less,now too much－Moreau isin any casepresented asnothing butthe
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self-nullifyingnon-coincidence.Asanexistencequaexcess,Moreau’sbeingis predicatedonexceedingtheestablishedperimetersofhisownlife.Disowned byhisownlifesotospeak,hisbeingiscutacrossbyaconstitutivespacing andhenceappearsasdematerializedasnon-BeastPeople.Moreauthusemerges atthatpointasanotherzoē thatisexcludedfrom thezoēquabios,another remainderthatcan’tpossiblybesettledonanygridofintelligibility.Forthis reason,itcomesaslittlesurprisethatMoreau’sextraordinarycomposurechills Prendicktothebone:“ThenIshivered”(Moreau,79).Stunnedbytheuncanny junctionofsublimityandignominy,Prendickmusthavegonepalewithas muchfrightaswhenherunsintothedegeneratingBeastPeople.
Allinall,Moreauisconcurrentlyanadministratorofbio-powerandits victim,asovereignandamemberofnon-BeastPeople.Hestandsfirmlyona nodalpointofthebiopoliticalnetwork,andfashionshimselfasaninstrumental cogin“theanthropologicalmachineofthemoderns.”Ontheotherhand,heis alsothe“fleshwithoutbody”whicheitherstubbornlydefiesassimilation,or evenprovestobeadeadlyhazardtotheoperationofbiopoliticalapparatuses. Asastaunchadherentandamonstrousstrangertothebio-poweratthesame time,Moreauisanothervictim of“inclusiveexclusion,”rippedapartbyhis unlocalizablepositionin thecircuitofbio-power.Insideandoutsideatthe sametime,Moreau(dis)positionshimselfonthebiopoliticalatlas.Inother words,heisjustbeingtherequabeing-there.
Then,itremainsto beseen whetherMoreau’sontologico-political(dis) positionisahelplessgestureofresignation,orthegauntletthrowndowntothe faceofbio-power.ThetragicendofMoreauseemstosuggestitismorea caseoftheformer.Moreauisbatteredintoalumpofbeastfleshbythepuma hehasvivisected.SuchasadendingaddsafatalistnotetoMoreau’s(dis) position,encapsulatinghow asovereignisconsignedtothebeaststatusbythe biopolitical“Fate,”andhow abio-engineerisentrappedandmincedinthe
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anthropologicalmachin.ThegashedfleshofMoreau,inotherwords,speaks volumes about the untouchable mightiness of bio-thanato-power. As its operation isunhindered,every life within itsreach isrendered precarious. Neitheristhereanymeasuretotakewhenthepredestined degeneration of goodlifeintoinconsequentialbeing-thereisirreversiblyinprogress.
Bio-thanato-poweristruly pitiless,to besure,butthereisno lack of awkward moments in its operation. As I’ve discussed above, the anthropologicalmachinewouldbreakdownasitchurnsoutthefleshthatis too monstrousto besetin placein the biopoliticalgrid ofintelligibility.
Moreau’s(dis)positionmarkstheveryembarrassingmomentwhenbio-power comesupagainstitsintractableexcessandfindsnothingcanbedoneaboutit. Prendick’s“shiver”arisesasthecorollaryoftheultimatefailureofbio-power to grasp,domesticateorpressitsexcessinto itsservice.To takeatruly polemicalstanceagainsttheinexorablebio-power,itisyettobeseenhow the powerofhorrorthusevokedcanbemobilizedtocausefatalfailuretothe operationofbiopoliticalapparatuses.It’sapitytofindWells’novellaholds backbeforebringingthecriticalimportofMoreau’s(dis)positiontoitslogical end.Itisallthanksto Wells’ingenuity thatthe crosscontamination of bio-powerand thanato-powerisbroughtinto sharp relief.The ontological peculiarityconsequentupontheoperationofbio-thanato-poweralsoattainsits mostcrystallineepitomizationinthefigureofdegenerationBeastPeople.Even more worthy of note and admiration is the presentation of Moreau’s ontologico-political(dis)position,whichactuallyhintsatthemuch-sought-after possibility ofbreaking loose from the grip ofbio-power.Despite allthe revealinginsightintothebiopoliticalmechanisms,Wellsstopsshort,showing no intention ofgoing furtherto scrutinize the radicalfrontofMoreau’s (dis)-position.ThisisnotmeantasascathingcommentonWells’novella.On thecontrary,anypolemicagainstbio-thanato-powershouldstartwhereWells
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leavesoff.Moreau’s(dis)position and theontologicalpredicamentofthe non-BeastPeopleshouldbetakenasthepointofdeparture,andbroughtto bearinauphillefforttoreleaselifefrom therestraintsofbio-power.
<NationalChengchiUniversity,Taiwan>
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Being-There:TheOntologyofBiopowerin H.G.Wells’TheIslandofDoctorMoreau
Abstract Yen-binChiou
Intheepochofbiopoliticaladministration,itisnoticeablethatontology hasregained currency in the fieldsofliterary,philosophical,and political studies.The“ontologicalturn”isan emergenttrend ofreorienting thinking towardthedevastatingyetindiscernibleeffectofbio-poweronlife.How does bio-powergoeshand-in-handwiththanato-powertobringconstraintstobearon life? How does bio-thanato-powerengineer life? Whatis the ontological predicament consequent on the unfortunate marriage of bio-power and thanato-power?Isthepredicamentinquestionasignofdoom,orabeaconof hope?ThisarticleaimstoreadH.G.Wells’TheIslandofDoctorMoreau (1896)asa philosophicalnovella thatraises,analyzes,and answersthese questionswith stunning exactitude.From Moreau’sgrafting surgery to the uncannyexistenceofthedegeneratingBeastPeople,Wellstracesclearlyhow bio-powerandthanato-powerdovetailinthebiopoliticalefforttoproducethe
“stubbornbeastflesh,”ratherthanthe“welldefined”form ofqualifiedlifeas originally intended.Forallthe precise grasp ofthese core problems,this novellaeventuallyfailstobringtheradicalobservationtoitslogicalend.It stillremainstobeseenifthe“being-there”ofthe“stubbornbeastflesh,”as Wellssuggests,addsuponlytoaforebodingreminderoftheprecariousnessof life.
▸KeyWords:H.G.Wells,GiorgioAgamben,MichelFoucault,bio-power, ontology,non-BeastPeople
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논문 투고 일자:2011.7.27 심사 완료 일자:2011.8.2 게재 확정 일자:2011.8.16
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