The creation and dissolution of binaries in William Gibson's Neuromancer: Babylon, Zion, and the artificial intelligences

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Date
2007Author
Friesen, Rilla Marie
Type
ProjectDegree Level
MastersMetadata
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Since William Gibson includes a Rastafarian Enclave and a theological compass in Neuromancer, this can be used to examine the troublesome natures of the two Artificial Intelligences, Wintermute and Neuromancer. The Rastafarian's beliefs and interpretations of Babylon and Zion, the oppressors and the liberated, add political significance to the Tessier-Ashpool's and their enslaved Artificial Intelligences. Since the Artificial Intelligences are both created of Babylon – the Tessier-Ashpools – and also wanting to be free of them, they are something outside of both. In the Artificial Intelligences, then, Gibson collapses the straightforward dichotomy of Babylon and Zion.
Degree
Master of Arts (M.A.)Department
EnglishProgram
EnglishSupervisor
Clark, HilaryCopyright Date
2007Subject
William Gibson
Neuromancer
Rastafarian
dystopian
binary opposition
Artificial Intelligence