The Posthuman Transformation: A Contemporary Study of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils

Abstract

This paper examines the animal world portrayed in The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1906-7) by Selma Lagerlof, by transforming the protagonist’s human body into a posthuman figure, arguing about Nils’ reduction from a grown-up human to an elf-sized being, who travels across Sweden among geese. Post-humanism is a theoretical framework that questions classical humanism while highlighting human limitations. Following Rosi Braidotti’s idea of “post-humanism” in her book called The Posthuman (2013), this paper attempts to show how Nils’ posthuman body allows him to enter into the animal world, which questions the absurd assumption of humans to be superior. Through Nils’ transformation, his adoption of animal language, and his becoming a part of a non-human community, the paper demonstrates how the book destabilizes the human/animal binary and creates a different world where animals are neither considered to be marginalized, nor excluded, nor different from the human world. By situating the children’s narrative into a contemporary posthuman reading, the paper offers relational, non-hierarchical, and more ethical possibilities. Ultimately, by showing the limitations of conventional humanity, or a human, characterized by traditional definition, which defines the lines between humans and animals, the paper criticizes anthropocentric view, not only to blur the lines between human and animals, but also to create an appropriate channel, which does not only reframes human identity, but it also brings light to a world where human, animals, and nature can co-exist together.