Glasshouse by Charles Stross-Identity and The Body

This essay is based on the novel Glasshouse by Charles Stross. I am supposed to draw examples and compare and contrast the novel with our society.  This is the question I am supposed to answer: 1.  In the course so far, we have considered the notion of how identity and body seem somehow separate.  And in many of our thoughts in discussion and lecture, we’ve examined how identity seems the more endurable of this pair. We often tend to change or shape our bodies to conform to what we feel our identities to be.  In Glasshouse, this process seems, possibly, reversed, despite the fact that a person’s identity can be uploaded in body after body.

So consider the following statement. In Glasshouse, identity is shaped by the body you are in rather than the other way around. Do you agree? B = Exam consists of essays that exceed the minimum length requirement. They demonstrate a solid understanding of the ideas discussed in lectures and show an ability to apply those ideas to the texts.  They go beyond a bare familiarity with the texts, showing a real level of engagement and mastery of textual detail in answering the questions. A = Exam consists of essays that exceed the minimum length requirement.  They show complete mastery of the ideas discussed in lecture and the texts.  They are detailed and persuasive in their mastery of detail and their ability to make insightful arguments linking texts to concepts in the course. Finally please note, the exam is graded on content, not form.

Further Instructions

I’d prefer you to write clear, grammatical prose, but I am focused on the content primarily. While I don’t insist on your using quotes from the texts, the fact that you have all weekend to write the exam and you have the texts at your fingertips suggests that good essays are going to refer in detail to the texts, if not quote them outright.  I don’t need fancy citation techniques.  Just give me the page number in parentheses, like so (25) for the article or the chapters in the novel. Counterarguments are not required, but they are encouraged as useful ways to add depth and nuance to your answers.  If you have any questions, feel free to drop me an email.  Good luck!

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