Date of Award
Spring 4-1-2024
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
English
First Advisor
Alyssa Quinn
Abstract
Otem in Paradise is a surrealist novella that blurs the boundaries between animate and inanimate objects and traces their origins and futures in deep time. Central to the story are fish-shaped dinner plates, made from plastic, which Otem, the main character, has grown up with. At Otem’s request, these fish-plates attempt to teach her how to breathe underwater as her sea-dwelling ancestors did. Although coming from a desire to understand these animals, Otem’s wish is also rooted in an Edenic fantasy whereby she returns to a more ‘natural’ and ‘calm’ state by becoming more fish-like. The story, however, rejects this logic, and instead blurs the lines between the natural and the industrialized. As it traces the fish-plates’ origins to plant and animal matter that was converted to oil over the course of millions of years, the narrative slowly blurs the line between the material and semiotic, ultimately concluding with a future in which plastic units of language have constructed the geological landscape of the earth. Deriving inspiration from Timothy Morton’s emphasis on the pathways and origins of objects in "The Stuff of Life," Otem in Paradise envisions a radical new way of relating with nonhumans.
Recommended Citation
Yourman, Emily, "Otem in Paradise" (2024). Honors Theses. 841.
https://digital.kenyon.edu/honorstheses/841
Rights Statement
All rights reserved. This copy is provided to the Kenyon Community solely for individual academic use. For any other use, please contact the copyright holder for permission.