A Study Of Klara’s Image In Klara And The Sun From The Perspective Of Unnatural Narrative

The development and advancement of science and technology inspire grotesque and attractive science fantasies and promote the rapid growth of science fiction.Klara and the Sun,the latest science fiction written by British-Japanese author Kazuo Ishiguro,has received attention from literary and critical circles upon its publication.Under the surface of science fiction,this work deals with eye-watching hot topics in society,including artificial intelligence technology and gene editing technology.To a certain extent,it is a portrayal of real contemporary life.From the first-person perspective of an artificial intelligence robot Klara,the novel presents readers with Klara’s memories of a highly technologically advanced post-human society,portraying the coexistence between artificial intelligence and human beings,which is an imagination of the fictional world.Klara’s story is a combination of reality and fiction.This study applies narrative theory to the textual analysis of Klara and the Sun,focusing on Klara’s image with the help of the research achievements of unnatural narratology and excavating the unnatural characteristics of Klara as a non-human.It attempts to explore the artistic techniques of Kazuo Ishiguro in portraying Klara’s character through a new perspective,to explore the increasingly blurred boundary between human beings and artificial intelligence robots,and to reveal the relevance of this novel to the contemporary society.Therefore,this thesis focuses on the unnaturalness of Klara,and explores this novel’s philosophical reflections,so as to reflect on existential dilemma and spiritual crisis that modern human beings face.This thesis proposes to adopt the following research framework: the introduction part briefly introduces Kazuo Ishiguro and his work Klara and the Sun,makes clear studies and researches on this work at home and abroad in detail,and presents the research methods and significance of this thesis.Chapter One gives a brief overview of the relationship between AFs(Artificial Friends)and society,and between AFs and science,presenting a post-human picture of a highly developed technological civilization and showing Kazuo Ishiguro’s speculations about the future and unknown possibilities.Chapter Two mainly analyzes Klara’s characterization at the discourse level and at the story level,respectively,examining the narrative techniques used in shaping Klara’s image,analyzing the human-like qualities represented by Klara,and focusing on the unnaturalness Klara exhibits as an artificial intelligence.Chapter Three discusses the unnatural coexistence between non-human Klara and human beings,focusing on their unnatural emotions.By describing the stories of Klara’s relationships with Josie and Josie’s mother,it explores the relationship of human identification with robots,contrasting the humanity of the artificial intelligence robot Klara with the human indifference under the cult of technological rationality,and further revealing Klara’s tragic fate.Chapter Four analyzes the unnatural narrative of the non-human Klara from two aspects.On the one hand,the narrative value is briefly outlined;on the other hand,the deep aesthetic value is explicated.This thesis aims to explore Kazuo Ishiguro’s philosophical reflections on human reality and appeals to attention to the spiritual crisis and dehumanization faced by human beings in contemporary society.What makes a person human involves human nature.It is human nature that gives human beings a sense of morality and nourishes their ability to survive in the world.In Klara and the Sun,Kazuo Ishiguro depicts the interdependent yet antagonistic relationship between human beings and artificial intelligence,presenting the human-machine interactions in the post-human scenario,focusing on the impact of science and technology on human society and the survival situation faced by artificial intelligence,and reflecting on the ethical and moral dilemmas faced by human beings.The battle between science and technology and ethics presented in this work has certain warning significance for contemporary society.