Volume V Special Issue III August 2025

Name of Author : Yogadharshini Paramasivam

Title of the paper : Programmed Affections: The Cyborgian Woman in Ayckbourns Henceforward…

Abstract: Alan Ayckbourns Henceforward… presents a dystopian vision of a society where technological mediation has replaced authentic human connection. Two act play set in a nearfuture London plagued by violence and surveillance, the play portrays Jerome Watkins, a composer who assembles a simulated family using a humanoid robot and a hired actress to regain custody of his daughter. Through Donna Haraways cyborg theory from A Cyborg Manifesto, this paper explores how the play destabilizes the binary like humanmachine, framing emotional authenticity as a performance shaped by technology. Nans programmed empathy and Zoes contractual affection both embody Haraways cyborg figure, complicating our understanding of kinship and identity. The presence of Mervyn, the child welfare officer, further highlights institutional control over emotional legitimacy. Ayckbourns play reflects the digital ages shifting literary focus, blurring lines between intimacy and performance, technology and humanity and warns of a future where emotional life is mechanized, curated, and controlled.

Keywords : Digital Humanities, Posthumanism, Donna Haraway, Alan Ayckbourn, Cyborg Theory.

DOI :

Page Number : 46-49