Technology as a Double-Edged Sword - A Study of Selected Science Fiction Texts

Ahsana Fathima A S

doi:10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.77061

Technology as a Double-Edged Sword - A Study of Selected Science Fiction Texts

Author(s)	Ahsana Fathima A S
Country	India
Abstract	This paper explores the nature of technology through three major science fictions namely Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), Jeanette Wintersons’ Frankissstein (2019), and The Stone Gods (2007) as an enabler of human progress as well as an existential risk. These novels have moves that explore humanity’s approach in relation to technology over time. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus (1818) was written when huge scientific advances and industrialization were changing life. The subtitle ties Victor Frankenstein to the Greek Titan who was punished for stealing fire to help humans. It came after the Enlightenment and at the start of the Industrial Revolution. The book captures early fears about what might happen when people try to control nature. Shelley drew her themes on experiments with electricity and galvanism. Luigi Galvani's demonstrations that electricity could bring dead animal tissue to life fed into this story to make it as a literary reaction to the technological prospects that challenged natural laws. In the age of AI, robotics, and transhumanism, Jeanette Winterson’s Frankissstein (2019) is a 21st century retelling of Shelley’s story which revises her concerns for a digital context. The novel combines a story about Mary Shelley writing Frankenstein parallel with a modern story about Dr. Ry Shelley, set against the backdrop of heated debates about what artificial intelligence can offer and what transhumanism may hold. The Stone Gods (2007) offers a cyclical perspective of human civilization across various planets and time. Advanced technology has brought about a level of unprecedented comfort but also environmental disaster on the planet Orbus, necessitating the exploration of a new planet, which is where the story begins in the novel. The story is then set on Easter Island during the period of ecological collapse on Earth, in the constricted near-future, and on a post-apocalyptic planet. The Stone Gods, published when worries about climate change and environmental damage were growing, links technological progress to ecological consequences. Hence, each novel representing different facets of the technological interaction between man and his world.
Keywords	Artificial Intelligence, Bioethics, Ecological Consequences, Transhumanism, Technological Hubris
Field	Sociology > Linguistic / Literature
Published In	Volume 8, Issue 3, May-June 2026
Published On	2026-05-02
DOI	https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i03.77061

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Technology as a Double-Edged Sword - A Study of Selected Science Fiction Texts

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