Extinction, or the Extension of Life : Biology and History as Representation and Metaphor in Ted Chiang's "Seventy-Two Letters"

Abstract: This paper explores Ted Chiang's novella "Seventy-Two Letters" and the way in which it combines genres, scientific and historical ideas in an effort to examine topics about life and creation. The combinations result in an intriguing representation of a history which is then made different and where Chiang can creatively challenge past ideas. Research by Foucault and Gillian Beer yielded insight into how historic and scientific concepts from biology in the nineteenth century became a culture's dominant understanding of life. Lakoff and Johnson argue that concepts are metaphorical in nature and Chiang skillfully incorporates metaphors to examine the creative force of language in the story. Darwin's theory of evolution is used as a conceptual framework and incorporated with older and outdated theories like preformation and recapitulation to speculate about how life can be created. The resulting effect is a layered and complex story that engages the readers' critical awareness of fictional and factual worlds alike.