Romantic Automata

Exhibitions, Figures, Organisms

By Ashley Shams, Christina Maria Weiler, Christopher R. Clason, Erin M. Goss, Frederick Burwick, Kate Singer, Kathryn S. Freeman, Lenora Hanson, Michael Demson, Peter Erickson, Stefani Engelstein, Wendy C. Nielsen | Publisher: Bucknell University Press

About the book

For most of the eighteenth century, automata were deemed a celebration of human ingenuity, feats of science and reason. Among the Romantics, however, they prompted a contradictory apprehension about mechanization and contrivance: such science and engineering threatened the spiritual nature of life, the source of compassion in human society. A deep dread of puppets and the machinery that propels them consequently surfaced in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century literature. Romantic Automata is a collection of essays examining the rise of this cultural suspicion of mechanical imitations of life.

Recent scholarship in post-humanism, post-colonialism, disability studies, post-modern feminism, eco-criticism, and radical Orientalism has significantly affected the critical discourse on this topic. In engaging with the work and thought of Coleridge, Poe, Hoffmann, Mary Shelley, and other Romantic luminaries, the contributors to this collection open new methodological approaches to understanding human interaction with technology that strives to simulate, supplement, or supplant organic life.


Published by Bucknell University Press. Distributed worldwide by Rutgers University Press.

Editions of Romantic Automata

Paperback
ISBN 9781684481767
EBook
ISBN 9781684481781
PDF
ISBN 9781684481804

Read an Excerpt

For most of the eighteenth century, automata were deemed a celebration of human ingenuity, feats of science and reason. Among the Romantics, however, they prompted a contradictory apprehension about mechanization and contrivance: such science and engineering threatened the spiritual nature of life, the source of compassion in human society. A deep dread of puppets and the machinery that propels them consequently surfaced in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century literature. Romantic Automata is a collection of essays examining the rise of this cultural suspicion of mechanical imitations of life.

Recent scholarship in post-humanism, post-colonialism, disability studies, post-modern feminism, eco-criticism, and radical Orientalism has significantly affected the critical discourse on this topic. In engaging with the work and thought of Coleridge, Poe, Hoffmann, Mary Shelley, and other Romantic luminaries, the contributors to this collection open new methodological approaches to understanding human interaction with technology that strives to simulate, supplement, or supplant organic life.


Published by Bucknell University Press. Distributed worldwide by Rutgers University Press.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Romantic Automata about?

For most of the eighteenth century, automata were deemed a celebration of human ingenuity, feats of science and reason. Among the Romantics, however, they prompted a contradictory apprehension about mechanization and contrivance: such science and engineering threatened the spiritual nature of life, the source of compassion in human society. A deep dread of puppets and the machinery that propels them consequently surfaced in late eighteenth and early nineteenth century literature. Romantic Automata is a collection of essays examining the rise of this cultural suspicion of mechanical imitations of life.

Recent scholarship in post-humanism, post-colonialism, disability studies, post-modern feminism, eco-criticism, and radical Orientalism has significantly affected the critical discourse on this topic. In engaging with the work and thought of Coleridge, Poe, Hoffmann, Mary Shelley, and other Romantic luminaries, the contributors to this collection open new methodological approaches to understanding human interaction with technology that strives to simulate, supplement, or supplant organic life.


Published by Bucknell University Press. Distributed worldwide by Rutgers University Press.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Romantic Automata?

Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Literature: history and criticism > Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers

Where can I read a sample of Romantic Automata?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781684481767

Is Romantic Automata part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?

Yes it is a part of series Transits: Literature, Thought & Culture, 1650-1850

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Romantic Automata?

Ashley Shams, Christina Maria Weiler, Christopher R. Clason, Erin M. Goss, Frederick Burwick, Kate Singer, Kathryn S. Freeman, Lenora Hanson, Michael Demson, Peter Erickson, Stefani Engelstein, Wendy C. Nielsen

Who is the Publisher of the book Romantic Automata?

Bucknell University Press

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Romantic Automata is available as paperback(ISBN 9781684481767) and ebook(ISBN 9781684481781) and pdf(ISBN 9781684481804)

Where can I buy Romantic Automata online or support local independent bookshops?

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Where can I buy Romantic Automata?