Abstract:

The language of arboreal metamorphosis in Han Kang’s The Vegetarian not
only invokes the Ovidian myth of Daphne and Apollo but also establishes a
post-anthropocentric perspective according to which the irreducible material
and symbolic connections between humans and other entities are brought to
light. Drawing on the Derridean concept of carnophallogocentrism, on one
hand, and on posthuman feminist scholarship, on the other, this article argues
that the protagonist’s gradual release from her bond to Anthropos to embrace
forms of plant life highlights feminist posthumanism’s attempt to explore the
intricate relationships of human beings with each other and other species outside
the parameters of anthropocentrism.

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