Galatea 2.2 is a pseudo-autobiographical novel by Richard Powers which is partially based upon the events of the author’s life. Through the voice of the main protagonist named Richard Powers, the author raises important problems of body-mind duality, the possibility of investigating consciousness and the links between art and politics.
Even though Galatea 2.2 is defined as a pseudo-autobiographical novel by Richard Powers, the personality of the author has a significant impact upon the readers’ perception of the plot lines. The novelist intentionally names his main character Richard Powers to produce certain impression upon the readers.
The main protagonist shares a number of characteristics and even experiences with the author, for instance, he is a novelist and even his books mentioned in the novel are the same as those written by a real author. Certainly, the protagonist cannot be identified with the living author because a number of events depicted in the novel never occurred and a number of traits found in the fictional character are not characteristic of Richard Powers in real life.
However, to draw the line between autobiographical materials and fiction is rather difficult though most readers would at least attempt to. Therefore, the assumption made by Barthes concerning the death of the author after the work of fiction is completed can be only partially applied to the novel Galatea 2.2. Even though the readers would respond to this novel in their unique unpredictable manner, the illusion that the novel is based upon autobiographical materials may have a significant impact upon the readers’ perception of the text.
One of the main plot lines that clearly demonstrate that the autobiographic basis of the novel is only an illusion is the interplay between cybernetics and literary theory. Analyzing the experiment involving the creation of artificial intelligence in the form of a machine which might be able to analyze a literary text and the main protagonist educating this machine, it can be stated that the events take place in unreal setting.
Ironically, the machine has a human name Helen and has even more human features than some of the characters do. After Richard Powers as the main protagonist tells the machine the stories from his life and discusses the current events in the world, Helen admits that she cannot bear the realities of the world, closes the programs down and exits.
After receiving random news reports and police bulletins, Helen rejects to become a part of this world if it looks like the reports describe it (Powers 314). Lacking any substantial connections with the surrounding world, the main protagonist interacts with artificial intelligence and experiences a rebirth after this interaction.
Thus, the questions raised by the novelist include not only the possibility of simulating human thoughts and especially creativity by artificial intelligence, but also the source and nature of consciousness. It is notable that discussing the problem of consciousness in the novel, the characters try to use the advances in brain-imaging for establishing the physiological links between consciousness and brain.
However, Richard Powers considers the mind-body problem as insoluble and admits: “Awareness no more permitted its own description than life allowed you a seat at your own funeral. Awareness trapped itself inside itself” (Powers 217). Therefore, the author accepts the possibility of simulating the process of thinking and creating intelligence outside of body but denies the possibility of investigating the underlying processes.
Whereas the main protagonist denies the possibility of investigating the connection, the answer to the mind-body dilemma can be found in the plot lines. This answer is that mind cannot be separated from body. Along with this solution, Powers’ understanding of literature and art are inseparable from his personal identity.
As it can be seen from the development of the plot lines, experiencing the mid-life crisis at the age of thirty-five, the main protagonist cannot write novels. Powers’ alma mater, the university to which he returns during his crisis seeking to restore his personal identity referred to as U. plays an important role in forming his identity and understanding of art. “U. was the place I saw how paint encode politics, first heard a sonata layer itself like a living hierarchy, first felt sentences cadence into engagement” (Powers 4).
However, understanding of the connection between art and politics appears to be less important than the solution of the mind-body problem for the restoration of self-identity in the main protagonist. Even though the researchers miraculously create artificial intelligence and a self-conscious machine, Helen’s exit proves that mind and body are inseparable.
Only after the interaction with Helen described as a blind box, Powers experiences transformation and rebirth which enable him to continue his life in this world. The main reason for which Helen rejects to become the part of this world is her passivity because of her disembodiment. In other words, Helen sees the cruelty of this world but cannot interfere.
She cannot correlate the humanly embodied knowledge she possesses with her own disembodiment. The main conclusion which Richard draws from his interaction with Helen is that mind is inseparable form body and owing to his own embodiment, he can become an active member of the community and continue his existence.
The plot lines of a pseudo-biographical novel Galatea 2.2 reveal the problems of body-mind duality and scholars’ attempts to investigate the source of consciousness and thinking process and separate them from the body.
Works Cited
Powers, Richard. Galatea 2.2. Berkeley, CA: Atlantic Books Limited, 2010. Print.