HUMAN TRANSFORMATION: FROM BODILY ALTERATION TO THE MODIFICATION OF HUMAN NATURE IN 21ST-CENTURY FRENCH AND GEORGIAN DYSTOPIAN LITERATURE

Abstract

The body, as a complex and multifaceted entity, represents a unique human experience and a significant way of expressing an individual’s inner world. In literary studies, transformations of the body often coincide with shifts in human nature. Traditionally, the body was perceived as an element expressing suffering, degradation, or alienation; however, in contemporary literature, it no longer serves as a mere reflection of the soul, rejects transcendence, and remains a fragmented, disassembled object.
This article examines manifestations of dystopian thought in the context of human bodily transformation in the novels of Michel Houellebecq and Zura Jishkariani.
Based on a comparative analysis, the study explores the impact of bodily changes on human nature and identifies the distinctions between the natural human and the scientifically modified individual.