Eco-Dystopia: Reproduction and Destruction in Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake

Abstract

This essay argues that Margaret Atwood’s Oryx and Crake participates in a vibrant debate among scholars of science, animal, and feminist studies. Though traditional readings of Oryx and Crake emphasize the novel’s critique of capitalist science, this essay demonstrates the ways in which the novel criticizes ecotopianism. By critiquing both capitalist science and ecotopianism, Oryx and Crake highlights the complexity of knowledge production and cautions the reader against sweeping plans for the elimination of suffering, regardless of whether those plans are driven by economics, science, or environmentalism.