From Alterity to (Self-)Exile and Sublime in Outer Space. A Case Study: Samantha Harvey’s Orbital

Samantha Harvey’s Orbital presents a new perspective regarding space exploration, focusing on a day in the life of six astronauts, which brings forward a potential discussion regarding the human condition in outer space, the duality (human and cosmic) of astronauts, as well as the condition that they must face while being in outer space: being rather “outsiders” compared to people on Earth, but not feeling quite entirely at home in outer space either. Therefore, the following paper focuses on the lives of the six protagonists as depicted in Harvey’s novel. Through a close reading and a narrative analysis, the purpose of this paper is to highlight the ways in which Orbital features the lives of six astronauts from a perspective that can be discussed from a theoretical standpoint that revolves around concepts such as alterity, exile (or rather self-exile), foreigner, and sublime (and cosmic sublime).