Membrane: a poetics of the border
Abstract
In this paper, I use the figure of the membrane as a mediating presence between inside and outside that helps to regulate the self against environmental toxicity. Drawing on the biological theory of Lynn Sargulis and Dorian Sagan, Didier Anzieu's theory of the Skin Ego and Ted Chiang's short story ‘The Story of Your Life’, I trace the appearance of the membrane as a form of material ecocriticism across texts, genres and bodies.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Ecocriticism and Environmental Literature
Literary Theory and Cultural Hermeneutics
Utopian
Dystopian
and Speculative Fiction
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Textual Practice
- Pages
- 1–19
- Publication date
- 12 January 2026
- Language
- EN