Title: Near-Flesh

Author: Katherine Dunn

Date of First Publication: 1991

Place of Publication: Ultimate Frankenstein

Type: Short Story

Characters: No Character

Themes: ANDROID; SYMPATHETIC MONSTER; POSTHUMAN; MAD SCIENTIST/MONSTER; BYRONIC HERO; WOMEN WRITING MONSTERS; QUEER FRANKENSTEIN

Critical Summary: Katherine Dunn’s “Near-Flesh” is set in the future. The central character, Thelma Vole, finds herself in a particularly dull and stagnant lifestyle. The story opens up with her standing at the door of her closet looking in and debating whether she’d like to pack a male companion for her business trip or not. She briefly recounts her male robots—hesitating to disclose one of them, until late in the story—each with different features. In order: Lips, was her first and most “outdated”, Bluto was her second, Brain the most expensive, and Wimp her latest indulgence.

While reminiscing on her acquisition of the robots, she reveals her character. She appears as a sad, seemingly pathetic, lonely woman and is well aware of it, along with the fact that she has poor physique and no intentions of changing it. She outwardly expresses her disinterest in making human connections and thus we see why she has invested so much of her money on her male robot companions. Each of her male companions contain very different features. Lips is the epitome of a machine in that it has very basic and repetitive functions, a very monotonous machine. Bluto is also very mechanical in that it has a set of repeated functions although he was purchased for her masochistic pleasure. The Wimp functions as a way for her to express her sadistic needs. The robot that stands out from the group is the Brain, who was designed for more intellectual pleasures as opposed to the others.

Of all the robots, Vole is less willing to turn on the Brain once she had modified him to full potential, seemingly because she finds him to be too human. Upon returning from her trip without any company from her robots she begins to antagonize the Brain. In doing so, she seems to trigger something in him and he gains control of the ability to assemble himself. The story ends with her co-workers talking about how she was tragically found after having fallen from her window along with the Brain. One of them makes a snide remark speculating on what might have occurred.

Vole’s character compares to Victor’s character. She possesses some deep rooted loathing for herself and the type of person she has become after her creation (she pays for his customization) of the Brain. Just like Victor, she is unwilling to face her creation, although she had been so completely consumed in its construction.  Much like Victor, she does not give her creation the opportunity to prove itself a worthy contribution to society and instead secludes it. In the end, Victor’s creature became his own demise and we can only assume a similar fate befell her.

Administrative Notes: Written by Paola Ruelas, CSUF; Dr. David Sandner (editing)