Parasitic discourse in the construction of speculative fiction

fictional operations in Kindred, by Octávia Butler

Abstract

In this article, the elements considered in the characterization of Speculative Fiction are reflected in order to capture its specificities, understanding that, since the rising of this terminology, attempts to delimit the meanings have not been sporadic. However, is noticed an unstable field being built, making it difficult to recognize common denominators that can be observed in the literary exercise itself. Regarding, he sought to establish paths from which it is possible to notice recurring operations that are common to what can be called Speculative Fiction. Therefore, the theoretical postulates that underpinned Speculative Fiction developed by Stableford and Langford (1995), Oziewicz (2017) and Meireles (2021) are considered. After that, the notions of “fable” (what is narrated), “fiction” and “parasitic discourse” defined by Foucault (2013a) were used in order to understand what motivates fiction and the way in which this discourse brings into play by acquiring the adjective “speculative” as a determining element. To conclude, the novel Kindred: blood ties, written by the North-American Afrofuturist Octavia Butler (2019), was analyzed, aiming to recognize operations that could characterize her narrative as speculative fiction in the terms reflected.