Posthumanism And Anthropomorphism In Fairy Tales

Abstract

Folklore has long been a repository of anthropomorphism, a literary term denoting a narrative or interpretation where human characteristics are ascribed to non-human entities such as animals, gods and natural phenomena. This tradition reflects humanity’s efforts to make sense of the world through projection of human traits into the non-human. However, in Posthumanism, the anthropocentric worldview inherent in anthropomorphism is challenged, advocating for a decentering of the human in favour of recognizing the agency and interconnectedness of all beings. This paper explores how folk narratives and literary texts embody anthropomorphism through engagement of Posthumanist ideas, revealing the shifting perceptions of the human and the non-human through observation that Posthumanism critiques anthropomorphism as a human-centered imposition on the non-human, questioning the ethical implications of reducing other beings to mere reflections of humanity.