Peer-reviewed article
Brave new waves: Genetic determinism in Kelley Armstrong’s darkness rising trilogy
Lakshmi Rangasamy, Tamilmani K T, Anandhan Hariharasudan, Nishad Nawaz ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This is a literary analysis of Kelley Armstrong's Darkness Rising trilogy, a set of young adult novels. It uses close textual reading, Foucault's idea of 'biopower' and posthumanism to examine how the novels portray adolescent identity. The paper argues that the trilogy presents adolescence as shaped by genetic manipulation, constant surveillance and institutional control. It studies fictional characters, not real children, and does not look at any child well-being programme, policy or outcome.
Key points
- The paper uses close textual reading of a fictional trilogy.
- It applies Foucault's concept of 'Biopower' and posthumanism as its lenses.
- It looks at young adult characters whose latent genes are activated to revive extinct supernatural powers.
- It argues the trilogy presents adolescence as a genetically mediated process involving genetic manipulation, twenty-four-hour surveillance and institutional hegemony.
- It describes adolescence as a site where genetic modification, power and identity intersect.
Limitations
The document is a literary interpretation of fiction and contains no data on real children or any intervention. The countries given in the metadata hint are not tied to any setting described in the abstract.
Abstract
The field of genetic engineering has witnessed a tremendous growth in the contemporary era in which genetic modifications have yielded desired outcomes. Particularly, genetic determinism has played a vital role in comprehending the present-day evolving identities that are formed, contested and altered in this technology-driven world. Hence, this research paper postulates adolescence through the construct of genetic determinism in The Darkness Rising Trilogy by Kelley Armstrong. Present-day adolescent novels not only address complex issues such as identity formation, defiance, climate change, Artificial intelligence, surveillance and genetic modifications but also analyze young adults’ identity as a socially and culturally constructed entity. This paper adopts a close textual reading to analyze the construction of identities of the young adults whose latent genes are kindled to resurrect their extinct supernatural powers through the lens of Foucault’s concept of ‘Biopower’ and posthumanism. Further, the study contends that Armstrong’s trilogy reconstitutes adolescence not just as identity reconfiguration or sociocultural migration but as a genetically mediated process constituted by genetic manipulation, twenty-four-hour surveillance and institutional hegemony. Thus, the study restructures adolescence as a locus of contestation where genetic modification, power, and identity intersect in multifaceted and transformative ways.