The Parasite

doi:10.1017/9781009554732.034

Chapter 32 - The Parasite

Biology, Cybernetics, Soft Machines

from Part V - Science, Medicine, and Technology

Published online by Cambridge University Press: 02 July 2026

Lejla Kucukalic

Edited by

Oliver Harris,

Davis Schneiderman and

Alex Wermer-Colan

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Oliver Harris: Affiliation:
Keele University
Davis Schneiderman: Affiliation:
Lake Forest College
Alex Wermer-Colan: Affiliation:
Temple University

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Summary

This chapter explores William Burroughs’s literary and theoretical engagement with the virus as a figure of both destruction and transformation. Drawing on works such as The Cities of Red Night, Naked Lunch, and Ghost of Chance, this chapter examines how Burroughs reimagines parasitical entities – not solely as biological threats but as units of language, ideology, and cultural transmission. Situating Burroughs’ writing alongside scientific thought and postmodern theory, the essay conducts a close reading of Burroughs’ lectures on the virus at the City College of New York in 1974, exploring the virus as a liminal force capable of mutating identity, dissolving fixed moral binaries, and challenging notions of agency and autonomy. Burroughs’s fascination with symbiosis and parasitism, both literal and metaphorical, reveals a vision of the self as shaped by infectious systems: genetic, linguistic, and media-based. Ultimately, the essay argues that Burroughs seeks not just to expose viral control but to become a viral force himself, rewriting perception through a radical reprogramming of language and consciousness.

Keywords

William S. Burroughs cultural contagion viral symbiosis linguistic parasitism experimental literature speculative literature biofictions biopolitics Ghost of Chance The Cities of Red NightLectures on the Virus

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Type: Chapter
Information: William Burroughs in Context , pp. 423 - 436
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009554732.034 [Opens in a new window]
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2026

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References

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