Medieval Robots

Mechanism, Magic, Nature, and Art

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Medieval, Nonfiction, History
Cover of the book Medieval Robots by E. R. Truitt, University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: E. R. Truitt ISBN: 9780812291407
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc. Publication: April 22, 2015
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press Language: English
Author: E. R. Truitt
ISBN: 9780812291407
Publisher: University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.
Publication: April 22, 2015
Imprint: University of Pennsylvania Press
Language: English

A thousand years before Isaac Asimov set down his Three Laws of Robotics, real and imagined automata appeared in European courts, liturgies, and literary texts. Medieval robots took such forms as talking statues, mechanical animals, and silent metal guardians; some served to entertain or instruct while others performed disciplinary or surveillance functions. Variously ascribed to artisanal genius, inexplicable cosmic forces, or demonic powers, these marvelous fabrications raised fundamental questions about knowledge, nature, and divine purpose in the Middle Ages.

Medieval Robots recovers the forgotten history of fantastical, aspirational, and terrifying machines that captivated Europe in imagination and reality between the ninth and fourteenth centuries. E. R. Truitt traces the different forms of self-moving or self-sustaining manufactured objects from their earliest appearances in the Latin West through centuries of mechanical and literary invention. Chronicled in romances and song as well as histories and encyclopedias, medieval automata were powerful cultural objects that probed the limits of natural philosophy, illuminated and challenged definitions of life and death, and epitomized the transformative and threatening potential of foreign knowledge and culture. This original and wide-ranging study reveals the convergence of science, technology, and imagination in medieval culture and demonstrates the striking similarities between medieval and modern robotic and cybernetic visions.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A thousand years before Isaac Asimov set down his Three Laws of Robotics, real and imagined automata appeared in European courts, liturgies, and literary texts. Medieval robots took such forms as talking statues, mechanical animals, and silent metal guardians; some served to entertain or instruct while others performed disciplinary or surveillance functions. Variously ascribed to artisanal genius, inexplicable cosmic forces, or demonic powers, these marvelous fabrications raised fundamental questions about knowledge, nature, and divine purpose in the Middle Ages.

Medieval Robots recovers the forgotten history of fantastical, aspirational, and terrifying machines that captivated Europe in imagination and reality between the ninth and fourteenth centuries. E. R. Truitt traces the different forms of self-moving or self-sustaining manufactured objects from their earliest appearances in the Latin West through centuries of mechanical and literary invention. Chronicled in romances and song as well as histories and encyclopedias, medieval automata were powerful cultural objects that probed the limits of natural philosophy, illuminated and challenged definitions of life and death, and epitomized the transformative and threatening potential of foreign knowledge and culture. This original and wide-ranging study reveals the convergence of science, technology, and imagination in medieval culture and demonstrates the striking similarities between medieval and modern robotic and cybernetic visions.

More books from University of Pennsylvania Press, Inc.

Cover of the book True Relations by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book Wordsworth's Poetry, 1815-1845 by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book Torture by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book The Arabic Role in Medieval Literary History by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book Modern Coliseum by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book Rude Awakening by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book Against Self-Reliance by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book Astounding Wonder by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book Corporations and Citizenship by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book History Matters by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book Religious Freedom and Mass Conversion in India by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book Ethnography in Today's World by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book Eve's Journey by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book Women as Unseen Characters by E. R. Truitt
Cover of the book After Europe by E. R. Truitt
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy