Subsequently, in “Feminist Futures”, the second chapter, I analyze how second and third wave feminism use science fiction utopias as vehicles for the expression of feminist critique regarding the notion of gender. In the first chapter, “Finding Paradise in Space”, I examine the close relationship between science fiction and utopian literature, and the rise of contemporary science fiction utopias from the 1960s onward. I analyze whether Excession and Surface Detail can be considered within the body of feminist science fiction utopias. Banks’ Culture novels have been acknowledged as utopian works, and have been validated for their contribution to the genre of space opera (Levy, 79), little extensive research has been done on how the novels contribute to the expression of contemporary issues within the body of science fiction utopias. Within the Culture all conscious beings, whether biological, artificial, recognizably human-shaped or disembodied, are regarded as equals.
According to Banks, “there is another force at work in the Culture, and that is Artificial Intelligence” (“A Few Notes”). Both novels revolve around a highly developed intergalactic, post-scarcity society called the Culture. Banks’ Excession and Surface Detail: Science Fiction, Utopia, and Gender”, I examine Excession and Surface Detail, two of Banks’ Culture novels.
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