The God-human relationship in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha”

This article explores the relationship between God and a posthuman representative of humanity in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha” (2005). Using Daphne Hampson’s feminist post-Biblical ideas, the article argues that the story, as a sample of science fiction, exposes a posthumanist perspective...

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Main Authors:	Achachelooei, Elham Mohammadi, Leon, Carol Elizabeth
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2016
Online Access:	http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10166/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10166/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10166/1/10846-43163-1-PB.pdf

id	ukm-10166
recordtype	eprints
spelling	ukm-101662017-02-27T09:17:57Z http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10166/ The God-human relationship in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha” Achachelooei, Elham Mohammadi Leon, Carol Elizabeth This article explores the relationship between God and a posthuman representative of humanity in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha” (2005). Using Daphne Hampson’s feminist post-Biblical ideas, the article argues that the story, as a sample of science fiction, exposes a posthumanist perspective where existence and subjectivity of human kind is defined based on a mutual, non-hierarchical relationship between human being and God. The article aims to explore the capacity of the story to embody a positive standpoint of science fiction towards the transformation of the human. This article suggests that “The Book of Martha,” reflecting this transformation together with an unothered perspective of the Godhuman relationship, illustrates the potential for a more humanitarian life on Earth. The relationship is investigated through an unorthodox theological perspective that confronts Christian norms, particularly the norms dealing with what is considered as true femininity. In this way, the story describes a fictional space in which the Christian concept of human as a fallen, condemned, and passive object before a ubiquitous Almighty is substituted with a non- Christian active concept of the human entity. This active representation is based on the recognition of a posthuman agency which is free from surrender to divine power. “The Book of Martha” is about the gradual awakening of a black woman who, in interaction with God as the source of goodness, becomes aware for the need to redefine an authentic sense of self beyond that of an obedient servant before a masculinized God. This article explores this awakening. Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 2016-10 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10166/1/10846-43163-1-PB.pdf Achachelooei, Elham Mohammadi and Leon, Carol Elizabeth (2016) The God-human relationship in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha”. GEMA: Online Journal of Language Studies, 16 (3). pp. 129-143. ISSN 1675-8021 http://ejournal.ukm.my/gema/issue/view/863
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Local University
institution	Universiti Kebangasaan Malaysia
building	UKM Institutional Repository
collection	Online Access
language	English
description	This article explores the relationship between God and a posthuman representative of humanity in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha” (2005). Using Daphne Hampson’s feminist post-Biblical ideas, the article argues that the story, as a sample of science fiction, exposes a posthumanist perspective where existence and subjectivity of human kind is defined based on a mutual, non-hierarchical relationship between human being and God. The article aims to explore the capacity of the story to embody a positive standpoint of science fiction towards the transformation of the human. This article suggests that “The Book of Martha,” reflecting this transformation together with an unothered perspective of the Godhuman relationship, illustrates the potential for a more humanitarian life on Earth. The relationship is investigated through an unorthodox theological perspective that confronts Christian norms, particularly the norms dealing with what is considered as true femininity. In this way, the story describes a fictional space in which the Christian concept of human as a fallen, condemned, and passive object before a ubiquitous Almighty is substituted with a non- Christian active concept of the human entity. This active representation is based on the recognition of a posthuman agency which is free from surrender to divine power. “The Book of Martha” is about the gradual awakening of a black woman who, in interaction with God as the source of goodness, becomes aware for the need to redefine an authentic sense of self beyond that of an obedient servant before a masculinized God. This article explores this awakening.
format	Article
author	Achachelooei, Elham Mohammadi Leon, Carol Elizabeth
spellingShingle	Achachelooei, Elham Mohammadi Leon, Carol Elizabeth The God-human relationship in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha”
author_facet	Achachelooei, Elham Mohammadi Leon, Carol Elizabeth
author_sort	Achachelooei, Elham Mohammadi
title	The God-human relationship in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha”
title_short	The God-human relationship in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha”
title_full	The God-human relationship in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha”
title_fullStr	The God-human relationship in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha”
title_full_unstemmed	The God-human relationship in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha”
title_sort	god-human relationship in octavia butler’s “the book of martha”
publisher	Penerbit Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
publishDate	2016
url	http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10166/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10166/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/10166/1/10846-43163-1-PB.pdf
first_indexed	2023-09-18T19:56:42Z
last_indexed	2023-09-18T19:56:42Z
_version_	1777406577660133376

The God-human relationship in Octavia Butler’s “The Book of Martha”

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