Abstract #3

Male Fantasies- this text describes the political sides of German fascism and how it shaped the German culture, military cognitions and tactics that went into training of the soldiers. It discusses the idea of how the soldier was redesigned into a machine during military training. The concept of desire and pleasure was considered unnessary and a hinderance to war-time and peace-time sucess. The human body was transformed from flesh, limbs and mind into intricate tools and gears in the military machine. Ultimately, the focus was on how the soldiers were taught to "live without emotion."

Tank Girl- a graphic novel about a woman who enlists into the army and gets assigned to "Special Op's" and has one mission that doesn't go as planned. She steels some money from the operation and ends up living in solitude for a long period of time. Then she decides to start driving her tank a loop around Australia and finally is driven out into the desert and gets tricked by two military men, and ultimately kills both the men.

Freikorps- voluntary army that was assumed to be unreliable and assigned to menial duties
Maelstrom- powerful tidal current
White Terror-violence acts against real or suspected communism
Fascism- totalitarian philosophy of government that glorifies the state and nation and assigns to the state control over every aspect of national life.
Libido-is the generalized sexual energy of which conscious activity is the expression.

-What was the significance of distinguishing between the wartime and peacetime machine?
-Are the internal and external explosions bodily functions or representations of problems with the "military machines" that were being trained?
-Are all the emotions or desires associated with the distruction of a good soldier sexual? oedipal?
-What is the significance of the "masses" and all the different kinds described in Ch.1?

Abstract for week 6

The selections from the book Male Fantasies were primarily about how the male body was viewed in the German fascist movement through the eyes of the Freikorps. It looks at how there are two different one is seen as something dirty, a beast, the other is something strictly formed under one leader. It talks about how the freikorp soldiers are formed without a moment that is not carefully watched and through hard physical punishment. It goes on to look at the philosophy of junger, that the new man is or should strive to be a machine man without any of the impediments, such as emotion, that a human faces. It also looks at how the army is made to operate as a machine and how the ego is always in danger of splintering.
Tank girl is a graphic novel about a very aggressive women named tank girl. She joined the army as a teenager. At first she is assigned to clean toilets. After two years she is given a special assignment which she completes and is rewarded for its completion by being de briefed in the showers. She gets a different job after this and in the midst of a prank played against her violently kills a man. She continues going of on other missions but they all seem to end in with her screwing or killing the wrong people.

Fascism- A political movement or government run by a dictatorship with socioeconomic control, suppression of opposition and nationalism.
Hans Jurgen Syberberg- A German film director who sees the human being a machine.
Freikorps- A paramilitary organization who fought against the enemies of Weimer Germany.
White Terror- Acts of violence carried out against suspected communists.
Ego- Freud’s concept in this case it applies more to a body awareness and who we see ourselves.

Why was it important that any humanness, such as emotion, was hidden?
What does the fact that physical exertion and punishment were seen as important to the making of a soldier mean?
What does the movement gain by being so anti-feminine?
In both of these pieces, why is there such a strong link between sexuality and violence?
In Tank Girl what is the significance that she as a women seems to fail all of her missions?

Still looking for a project idea?

Hi all,

A few people have come to me asking for project ideas, and here's my basic advice: Take a look at the Learning Modules in WebCT to see what topics are coming up. If we haven't broached a topic so far that interests you enough to pursue further research on it, then you might find something in the upcoming weeks that addresses your particular interests. The only "rule" is that it should have something to do with technology and/or science (in the broadest sense of those terms), gender, and German (since it is a German Studies cross-listed class). Also think about your personal "stake" in the course: What initially attracted you to the topic of the course (assuming that you knew something about it before you signed up for it)? Maybe you're interested in body image and popular culture (topics like our culture's obsession to be thin and how this might be compared to the history of the body in the German context; body dismorphic disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia; obesity as "disease" - what is the history of this? Is there a "gene" for obesity?). Or maybe you're interested in questions of racial or ethnic identity (how has "German" identity been defined against the negative images of "black," "Jewish," "Turkish," or other "minority" identities? How has science impacted these ideas about racial identity [e.g. eugenics, physiognomy, psychoanalysis])? Or perhaps you're interested in a particular genre of literature or filmmaking such as horror, science fiction, film noir, the Western, fantasy, or even videogaming - how does a particular genre construct identities, gendered, racial or otherwise? What modes of identity (gender, race, class, etc.) does a particular genre address in a way distinct from other genres? (For example, horror film and sci-fi are an obvious place to address gender, racial, and national identity, because "monsters" are so typically gendered, racialized, and nationalized in specific ways - the alien has a history of representing fears of communist or feminine threats, for example in Sci-Fi of the 1950s in particular at the beginning of the Cold War and the threat of "alien [communist] invasion").

Here are some other ideas:

• How does the newly discovered film footage from Metropolis affect the way we view this film? How have the different versions (American edited, Moroder, etc.) reflected the culture of their origin?
• Think about other films, texts, genres we might have considered in a particular unit (we obviously don't have time to read more than 1 or 2 texts each week - what other texts/films reflect similar concerns?) For example, during "Freaks" week, we probably won't have time to address the controversy surrounding the film Tropic Thunder and its satiric portrayal of films about the disabled - this is an area ripe for exploration. Another example: we've discussed the history of antisemitism and images of the Jew as monstrous "Other" - What/who are some of Germany's other Others? (look at the history of homosexuality or "gypsies" for example)
• Look at the history of "FKK" (Freie Körperkultur) in Germany - how has nakedness functioned as a political metaphor in the 20th century? (Linke has a chapter on this in her book German Bodies.)
• Look at the history of bodybuilding and "muscle culture" in Germany and the U.S.
  
• How has "cyberspace" changed our ideas about identity, especially bodily identity?
  
• Read Dürrenmatt's "Die Physiker" (The Physicists) and discuss its critique of science/technology.
• Look at some other horror and sci-fi films from Germany - I can give you a list - and discuss how these films either critique or reaffirm hegemonic identities.
• Do a Google search that includes some of the key terms of this course (gender, technology, national identity, Germany/German, representation, science, ....) and see what you come up with - Any ideas or texts you want to explore further

And lastly, you can always email me or stop by my office to talk about these ideas. Once you have a general idea for your topic and a few preliminary resources, I can give you more specific feedback and further assistance.

• 
  

Abstract #2

1.Summary:
Film: Nosferatu is an adaptation of Bram Stoker's Dracula, with mainly names changed. Hutter, a clerk, is sent to the castle of Count Orlok to finalize a house sale. There he meets Count Orlok and slowly comes to the realization that he is a Nosferatu. However, he is to late to stop count Orlok from moving back to Wisborg. He sets off to return and stop Orlok. Meanwhile, Orlok is traveling via ship. He kills off the ships crew one by one, until only the captain remains. He arrives at Wisborg and moves into his home. Around that time Hutter returns. His Wife reads a book that tells her how to kill the Nosferatu, by luring him and making him forget the dawn. She does this despite Hutter's cautions.

Jew's Nose: The text is about the perception of Jewish appearance throughout the 18th through 20th century. In the 18th and early 19th century Jews were viewed as diseased and “black.” As they assimilated into different populations, they adopted the features of the local populace and began to be viewed as their own race. However, Jews were still viewed as inferior, and they continued to view themselves as inferior to other races and wished to be more like the societal norm. Many went as far as to have nose reduction surgery.


2.Nosferatu: a Romanian word synonymous with Vampire
Diaspora: An ethnicity scattering instead of remaining together
plica polonica: Polish Plait, a condition where hair because a solid mass due to poor hygiene
Fin de siècle: A period of decline of an era, but at the same time, the growth of a new age


3.Questions: Why was Ellen sensing the approach of Count Orlok?
Why was she the one who had to be sacrificed?
If Nosferatu is a Jew, what does the coffin represent? Why bald?

Comments: I enjoyed the movie, although I found the book to be much more interesting plotwise.

Abstract 1: Nosferatu/Gilman Text

The Gilman text described both Jew's and non Jew's ideas of the Jew body from societies, historic, and medical point of view. The text defined the Jewish body, by the nose as well as skin color, from an academic point of view. It discusses a negative view on the Jewish nose and skin as a genetic defect or disease. Historically it goes from the Jew having a "black-yellow" skin color, to being solidly classified as black, to just having a darker color skin from diseases, then redefined again in the 19th century as "black or swarthy". Gilman also brings up the topic of a Jew trying to marry out of their race, to become more assimilated into society, and the problems it brings with the idea of being a "mixed breed" or a "Mischling".The text also discuses the effects of plastic surgery to reduce the size of a Jewish nose, and it's significance in how Jew's themselves, view their bodies.

Nosferatu is a classic vampire film made by F. W. Murnau in 1922. It tells the story of Hutter, who works at a real estate office in Wisborg, when his boss, sends him to meet with Count Orlok who is interested in buying the house accross from Hutter and Ellen's home. Hutter then leaves Ellen his loving wife with a friend while he travels to Orlok. Eventually making it to the castle he meets the creepy count Orlok, who is obviously a vampire...even if Hutter is oblivious to it. After Hutter is basically freaked out in the castle, from his "mosquito bites" on his neck, to finding Orlok sleeping in a coffin, he hides in his room. Orlok then piles up a bunch of coffins and leaves the castle, allowing Hutter to escape, both determined to make it back to Wisborg first to get to Ellen. Orlok enjoys a tasty snack of sailors on his way there, while Hutter enjoys knocking himself out then fleeing to Wisborg afraid for Ellen. The town freaks out thinking the Plague was brought by the ship carrying Orlok, because of the dead sailors and start chasing around the real estate boss, Knock, because the residents think he is a vampire. In the end Ellen distracts Orlok into forgetting about Sunrise and after he bites her, he disappears into the morning sunlight through the window.

Important Terms:
swarthy - of dark color or complexion
Plica polonica - neglect, filth and infestation of vermin in the hair.
Mischling - offspring of a Jewish and non-Jewish parents.
Mauscheln - form of speech only used by Jew's.
overbarbered - over the top styling of one's image

Questions:
Is Nosferatu supposed to be a Jew because of his richness and large nose?
Why did Hutter go out the window instead of the door?
If a Jew can suffer from Jewishness, can a Christian suffer from Christianess?
If becoming invisible is what the Jew's desired at the time, wouldn't that actually keep them from assimilating into society because they were in fact swapping out one difference for another?
Are Jew's white? (I ask because I feel there is no answer, not even the text gave one.)
Is having a big nose automatically make someone Jewish? (considering the time of the text)1991

Comments:
I wanted to ask this question, but really didn't think it was appropriate, but what the heck is wrong with Freud? I think he had a problem with his sexuality, because that is all he compares anything with, and half the time it doesn't quite make sense. He goes from saying the unhappy patient wants rhinoplasty because he is unhappy as a Jew, but changes his mind when finding out about the patients father, then claims the patient just hates daddy. As for Nosferatu supposed to be "Jewish", that might have been an undertone of the movie considering when it was made, or is it that they tried to make him monstrous and scary and just happened to decide he needed a big nose.

Nosferatu and "The Jewish Nose"

Summary-

Nosferatu is the first Dracula movie made in 1922. The main character Jonathan Harker is sent to Transylvania the land of phantoms by the professor Renfield. He is sent there to see Count Dracula and the Count hopes to return and live in the same town as Jonathan. As the Count is being shipped back to his new home a plague breaks out and is transferred from the ship to land where all the towns people are worried about dyeing. Harker's wife Mina reads the vampire book she was specifically told not to read and figured out the only way to stop the plague is to give her self to Dracula and then everybody else will be saved. In the end she does just this and saves everybody.


The Jewish Nose depicts the hardships that Jewish people went through and how they tried to fit in with the rest of the world. By mid-century being black, being Jewish, being diseased, and being ugly came to be inexorably linked. The German (Aryans) were said to be a pure race, and the Jews were criticized because to erase their "Jewishness" they would marry outside of their race but this would usually just bring out their Jewish characteristics even more. Jews were associated with being dirty and out casted by many people. The Jewish race is also said to have a prominent nose which was explained in this piece.


"plica polonica"-an uncommon condition in which groups of hair-shafts become irreversibly entangled, forming a matted and sometimes sticky moist mass. Symptoms may also include an inflamed scalp with bad odour. It was first described in Poland during the 19th century. Associated with the Jewish people.

Key Terms-

Mischling- Having one parent be Jewish but the other from another background.

Nosferatu- vampire in Slovenian

Zionist- Jewish movement that was world wide


Questions and Comments-

Is religion and race the same?

Are Jews a separate and distant racial category?

Why do you think Mina had to give herself to Count Dracula to save everybody?

What similarities if any did you see between the reading and the video?

Do you think today there is a problem with people showing unkindness towards the Jewish race?


I thought that the video was really unique in the way that I have never sat down and watched a 1920's movie before I found it intriguing and at the same time it was a little hard to stay focused. I had never seen this version of Dracula before and I found it really interesting. The article really caught my attention and I was really intrigued to keep reading since there was so many key points about race and religion I have never considered before.

The Undead and the Jew Nose

Summary:
Nosferatu is based off of the oldest vampire there is, Dracula. It is the story of a vampire from "out of town" that wishes to make the journey to the home town of Hutter, the main character, which is Misborg, Germany. Hutter must first make the journey to the vampire, Graf Orlok, to settle all plans for where he will settle once he arrives. As the vampire's "bed" is carried across the seas to his new home, a strange case of the plague hits the crew members as well as towns the ship passes. Once Graf Orlok arrives in Misborg, the plague hits full strength and people are scared to leave their homes. The wife of Hutter, Ellen, realizes that she must take it upon herself to be a sacrifice to the vampire so that the terrible plague will end, and that is what she does, in sacrificing her life she saves the lives of all that would have been attacked by Graf Orlok.

The reading 'The Jew's Body' was about the different connotations typically associated with the Jewish race. It discusses how they were often taken as black and diseased and that there was no other way for them to be. They were the "ugly" race and no matter how they tried they would not escape their ethnicity. The article also brings up the idea of assimilation and adaptation. The idea that where ever one travels, there will be Jews that have different skin color or eyes than they would have in another part of the world. It is discussed however that no matter how hard they try, they will never escape certain physical characteristics, such as the 'Jew Nose'. For a long time the people that were worried the most about standing out as not Jew were the ones that had no recognizable Jewish characteristics.

Key Terms:
Nosferatu- vampire in Slovenian, or undead in Romanian
paracelsian- actions pertaining to a Swiss alchemist and physician of 1500's
Empusa- female monsters of Greek Mythology that were sent to harass travelers
Mischling-offspring of a Jewish and non-Jewish parent
spurious-not genuine, authentic or true
Zionist- world wide Jewish movement

Questions:
-Why was Hutter so excited to leave his wife at first and then when he was leaving her after making her stay at her sisters he was so hesitant?
-Do you think that Nosferatu had some control over Ellen's mind, or that she had her visions and episodes(sleep walking) because she had a strong connection to her husband?
-From a cinematography perspective, why effect did having Hutter make an audible gasp when cutting his finger, and then having Ellen make one not too long after have on the feel of the film?
-Did Ellen really sacrifice herself or was it more of a case of being at the right, or wrong for Nosferatu, place at the right time?
-What was some of the major irony that was played off of in the film?
-Why is it that we tend to associate strongly with a race that we categorically fall into even when we do not know all the members and their identities?
-What meaning do you take from the line in the reading "Germans hate less the religion of the Jews than their race, less their peculiar beliefs than their peculiar noses"?

I am not sure that i found much of an over lapping theme between the two readings. One that i did see however, even if very vague, is the connection between the idea of the Jews hiding within another culture to fit in, which is was Nosferatu did. He hid inside the culture of Misborg, although it was not as much to fit in as to feed. Although i guess both can be looked at as survival mechanisms.

Abstract: Metropolis & Huyssen

1) summary
The Vamp and the Machine by Andreas Huyssen is, in effect, a critique of other critiques of Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Huyssen expresses that other critiques do not adequately address the issue of the woman-machine with historical context in mind. He stresses that the film contains opposing views on technology, highlighting the transitional atmosphere present in Germany at the time due to the end of WWI and the beginning of the Neue Sachlichkeit. The woman in Metropolis then, states Huyssen, serves as a symbol for both the fear of technology out-of-control (Maria as machine-vamp) and the containment of technology as a servant of mankind (Maria as the asexual mother). According to Huyssen, the "witch-burning" at the end of the film symbolizes society's transition to the Neue Sachlichkeit side of things.

Fritz Lang's Metropolis is a German expressionist film released in 1926. The film takes place in a futuristic city which is kept running by an underground vault of machines and their corresponding operators, who work long hours for little pay. The son of the master of Metropolis, Freder, follows the workers one day into the catacombs of the city to witness a woman, Maria, preaching peace and social harmony. His father, Joh Frederson, finds out about her and orders an inventor, Rotwang, to create a robot in Maria's likeness to create discord among his workers. He does so and the machine-vamp follows instructions and soon is out of control, seducing men and persuading them to revolt against the machines themselves. Eventually the city floods and the workers burn the "witch," then finding out she was really a machine.


2) key terms - it's mostly visual!!

• metaphysical - concerned with abstract thought or subjects, as existence, causality, or truth (dictionary.com)
  
• Minotaur - any person or thing that devours or destroys (dictionary.com)
  
• moloch - anything conceived of as requiring appalling sacrifice: the Moloch of war (dictionary.com)'
  

3) questions

• Do you agree that the transfer of Maria's likeness to the machine also transfers her sexuality? Does she become a "helpless mother figure, " as Huyssen states?
  
• What do you think about the role of water in the film? According to Huyssen, water represents female libido. What do the fountain and the flood represent?
  
• Both unbridled female sexuality and submissive asexuality are male fantasies expressed and repeated in the film. Does every male subscribe to these fantasies? What were the social ideals for German women of the time that may have influenced the view of men toward women?
  
• Is Maria really at fault for anything in the film? Does she or the robot deserve the punishment she receives (being held captive and symbolically raped by a flashlight count as punishment)? Does anyone in the film acknowledge her lack of fault?
  
• Why does Joh Frederson want to "sow discord" among his workers and "destroy their confidence in Maria"? She was preaching social harmony, which benefits Frederson.

Comments: It's revolting to see the blame for everything that goes wrong continually thrown on a female! If Freder hadn't decide he wanted Maria, if Joh wasn't so damn power hungry, if Rotwang didn't have some weird creation-mother complex, and if those stupid double standards and limited stereotypes that are created by men didn't exist, Maria might have some space to just be a person instead of the symbol men attach all kinds of meanings to. AGHH.

Metropolis: The Abstract

1) Huyssen’s article does a very good job of dissecting the symbolism and themes present in the movie Metropolis, however there are some things that I disagree with. She says that “Fritz Lang does not feel the need to explain the female features of Rotwang's robot,” however Rotwang says that he built her to replace Hel, a woman. I found it very interesting the way the female was portrayed as chaos and uncontrollable.


2)Vamp – A woman who uses seduction and charm to gain an upper hand.
Moloch – a sacrifice associated with fire
Neue Sachlichkeit – New Objectivity
Expressionism – A subjective art form



3)Why doesn’t Lang include Frederson ordering the machine-men from Rotwang in the movie?
Was the religious symbolism necessary? Did it add anything to the movie that wasn’t already obvious?
Do the workers really need to be replaced with robots? Aren’t their motions and actions automatic enough?
Huyssen states that during Freder’s breakdown he frees himself from the chains of seduction. However, he later cannot tell the difference between the robot and the real Maria, and attempts to save the fake Maria from a fire. Did he truly break free from sexual desire?

Metropolis

Summary: Film
Picking apart the most important elements of Fritz Lang's Metropolis remains a bit tricky due to the massive cuts made when presenting it to American audiences, however: the film takes place in a large city where the workers live underground, toiling to keep the city running. A a robot is created (Maria) which creates discord among the workers. Although the city's central machine is destroyed, the upper and lower classes are superficially and inexplicably reconciled through a symbolic handshake in which both parties are hesitant to participate and that seems not to change a thing.
Summary: Text
The theme of class struggle has been central to most analyses of the film, but Andreas Huyssen, in The Vamp and the Machine: Technology and Sexuality in Fritz Lang's Metropolis, argues that fears of technology and female sexuality are centrally related and that Metropolis attempts to resolve them. An important part of this hypothesis is the way in which the feminine image is constructed, along with the dualities of this construction.
Terms/Concepts/Theorists
Julien Offray de la Mettrie: French doctor and author of L'homme machine, which proposed the idea of the human body as a machine.
Panegyric: as found here on Wikipedia, "A Panegyric is a formal public speech, or (in later use) written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing, a generally highly studied and discriminating eulogy, not expected to be critical." In other words, Huyssen wanted to say "eulogy," but with a little more oomph.
Mad scientist: one who dabbles in forces humankind was not meant to control. As such, an overreacher in the tradition of Faust, represented here by Rotwang.
Pygmalion: a mythical sculptor who falls in love with his sculpture.
Vamp: woman who uses sexuality to take advantage of and screw up the lives of men.
Neue Sachlichkeit: "new objectivity," a concept that was popular in 1920's Germany and found expression in art and literature.
For Discussion:
1. Why, in bringing the film to American audiences, did they cut out the bits about Freder's mother?
2. Is the flesh and blood Maria truly asexual?
3. Vision is, Huyssen argues, essential to understanding this film. How is vision in this film similar to or different from its role in E.T.A. Hoffmann's Der Sandmann? Are there any other parallels worth discussing?
4. How has the mechanical Maria, as the prototypical sexy robot, influenced future representations of technologically created or enhanced women?
5. Huyssen states: "The conflict of labor and capital - such was the belief of the Neue Sachlichkeit and such is the implicit message of the film - would be solved through technological progress." The "witch-burning" is cited as evidence, but couldn't Rotwang's innovation have been the answer to the labor issue? Is there something else going on here?
6. Should the film be analyzed in its incomplete form?

Accessing the Huyssen text

Hi all,

Since WebCT is down this weekend, I'm making the Huyssen text available via: Agitprop. You will need to enter a password to see the link to the .pdf file and that password is: cyborgs (all lower case). Once you've entered the password, you'll see a link to the .pdf file: Click on it and it will either appear in your browser or download to your desktop or temp files (depending on your browser and its configurations). Direct link: http://ktvl.wordpress.com/huyssen-the-vamp-and-the-machine/

Also remember that you can get hard copies of the texts at the LSRC in 3142 Pearson. There are 3 copies of the Huyssen text on reserve there - just ask at the front desk to check them out.

Metropolis (the film) is available in the LSRC and in the library - make sure you're watching the 1927 Fritz Lang version.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

Abstract Writers for Week 4 (Metropolis; Huyssen)

Note that everyone is responsible for reading the article/s and viewing the film/s - The abstract writers' responsibility is to instigate and lead class discussion by providing abstracts to the texts at least 3 days in advance of the Thursday class session (posted here at our blog). Abstract writers may divide up the texts amongst themselves or work independently.

The abstract writers for this week are:

Kit Kooiker
Jessie Merritt
Jenna Miller
Erin Radach


If you'd like to contact each other, you can look up classmates' email addresses through the ISU Phonebook search system. Since WebCT is currently down, I cannot post emails there.

Blog #2

1.)Doane: Reproduction is one of the most commonly associated aspects given to women. This text states that although the advancing technology of text and cinema are elluding to the fact that the cyborgs can not reproduce like humans, the thought of it is not being forgotten.

Sandman: The eyes are the window into the soul of a person. This text focuses on how the eyes of a person are possible the most important part of the body. Olympia was not complete without the pair of human eyes, and without those she was distroyed.

2.) What is the meaning of the concepts of the uncanny?
In Bladerunner what did the pictures inserted into the machinery mean to Deckard?
Why is there such a need to reinvent or recreate woman? Does bringing them into realms of robotics and technology really compare to the human form and mind?

With all honesty, these texts and the entire subject of this class is completely new to me. I have never thought about these kinds of issues and debates, so if my abstracts do not seem entirely understandable, its because I am in a new realm of thinking that I have not mastered yet, and probably will never completely master. The concepts of maternal nature of women v.s. cyborgs/robots brings up great questions. Bringing together the aspects of written text, cinema, and actual technological advances in the text creates a concept of a woman that is not very clear.

Blog abstract 2

A) Doane: Reproduction more at stake than production. “Reproduction is the guarantee of history – both human biological reproduction and mechanical reproduction.” Bridges: “The Sandman” summary including the psychological and the technological parts to criticism.

B) “inner essence” – the soul
L’Eve future – Adam – woman of the future – (Tomorrow’s Eve)
Robot- work by mechanical creation
Cyborg- human and technological components
Android – manlike technological creation
Automation – actions of the creations
Metropolis- male workers mechanized, represents a city run by underground machines

C) Both texts were interesting in that they explored some symbolic parallels between literary and cinematic works and the portrayal of women. I really enjoyed how Bridges defined the terms and thought it would have been helpful to give examples of each. “The Sandman” summary was an interesting look at Hoffmann’s work. It was helpful that Bridges explained the piece of work and included some of the criticism that Hoffmann received.
Questions:
What inspired Hoffmann to write “The Sandman”? Was it out of the fact that he has a fear of destructive postwar technologies, as critics suggest?
How does technology make possible the destabilization of sexual identity as a category?
How is reproduction at stake?
Doane – page 112 – (at least till a new order of things comes in) – what is meant by this? How has the social status of women changed?
How do movies like Alien, Aliens, and Blade Runner differ? How are they similar?
In other cultures, are objects like robots, androids, cyborgs still playing a major role in depicting women? Has this changed over time? What do feminist groups and other parts of societies think of this?

Practice Abstract Two

a.)
The main theme in this weeks readings seemed to associate around sexual differences between men and women. Cinema also had to do a lot with this weeks readings and how the media displays women in a different sense. The cinema depicts women as the model of the perfect machine.

b.) Terms

• mythology- refers to a body of folklore/myths/legends that a particular culture believes to be true and that often use the supernatural to interpret natural events and to explain the nature of the universe and humanity
• biogenetic- is a body of theory in anthropology. The perspective grounds discussions of learning, culture, personality and social action in neuroscience.
• phallus dentatus-penis with teeth.
• fetishism-is an object believed to have supernatural powers, or in particular a man-made object that has power over others.

c.)Questions and Comments

• What is the basic concept of the body?
• What do people associate with the ideal female?
• Men want a women to be able to reproduce and be fertile, how can a man want a machine as a wife when they can't provide offspring for them?
• Is sexual identity classified as a category?
• How can Nathaniel question if his arms and eyes got ripped off when he is a grown man in the movie and obviously has both his arms and eyes in tacked?
• I found it interesting that in the movie Alien that men can have babies but it is displayed in a horrible way.
• In Metropolis I found this quote to be very interesting: "The body is tied to a time clock, as a schedule, a routine, an assembly line. The clock, a machine itself, is used to regulate bodies as machines." This quote really makes one stop and think about this and how in a way it is true because we are always worried about what time it is and relying on clocks to schedule our lives.
• Another quote I found interesting: " Men's bodies are analogous to machines, the women's body literally becomes the machine."

Abstract 2 (practice)

1.) The Doane article discusses both the novel L'Eve future and film Metropolis as being the leaders of "cinematic representation[s] of mechanical women." Doane explains how these themes of womanhood and motherhood intersect with ideas of "artificial femininity." Doane then points out that cinema has been thought of as being a "prosthetic device" or an add on to the human body, especially when considering a person's perception.
The Bridges article discusses not only the correct definitions for cyborg and android, but the effects that these "automatons" have on a culture. Bridges speaks of how these mechanical creations created fears of "dehumanization of workers" while at the same time fascinating European nations. Bridges brings up many examples of these machines from the Talking Turk to the fully functional duck, including hoax information about a piano-playing girl. The bases of Bridges article is to explain how a mixture of gender and technology have impacted both literature and film.

2. Terms
imbrication - covering with a design in which one element covers a part of another (intricacy of structure)
automaton - A self-operating machine or mechanism, especially a robot.
Faustian - A magician and alchemist in German legend who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for power and knowledge.
transubstantiation - Conversion of one substance into another.
homunculus - An artificial man supposedly made by the alchemists
simulacrum - An image or representation.

3. Questions/Comments
a.) Why was Nathanael confused about whether or not his arms were twisted off when he was a child...since he obviously made it to adulthood with them still attached?
b.) How does Miss Clary ( a real person?) not have a soul? Why would he model his "perfect mechanical woman" after a person who didn't have a soul?
c.) Does Ewald understand that Hadaly is a machine? Is he in love with her when it says he has finally recognized "the compatibility of technology and desire"?

I don't understand how film or cinema can be seen as a "prosthetic" device. Sure it is a technological invention as her next sentence starts out, but it is not attached to a body replacing a part. Why do all these authors fear femininity so much? They make it seem like being a woman is monster, which I'll agree women can be pretty scary at times, but come on!? Also, I now want a fully functional mechanical duck.

Abstract Dos

A) I found it interesting the way that Nathanael reacts to the fact that Olimpia is a cyborg. The way everyone else also reacts is also very interesting. That they were accepting of her, until they knew of her inhumanity is a great display of hindsight. In both of them I found the discussion of automation and automatons interesting, in that those are some of the few robots we currently have, and how we never really think about them.

B) Simulacra - A substitute based on an original
Homunculus - Articificial human, created to serve as a simulacra
The Uncanny -

C) Why did Hoffmann attach such significance to eyes?
What was the significance of the change in the way men were talking to women in the end of Der Sandmann?

I found these readings much easier to comprehend. They weren’t as bogged down in jargon as the first couple were.

Practice Abstract 2

The texts read this week are all centered around created machines, be they physical or on paper. The Bridges text gives a lengthy and interesting discussion of machines created by E.T.A. Hoffman in der Sandman and die Automate. Both stories by Hoffman explore the effect of automatons on emotional realities. In der Sandman Hoffman describes an automaton woman who is created by to males, one of whom has a son who later falls deeply in lust with Olimpia, the automaton. The story produces a struggle between all the male characters including Olimpia's creators, Nathaniel (he who adores 'her') and Nathaniels friend, Lotar. Personally, der Sandman is near the top of least enjoyable pieces of literature I've ever read.. but I did manage to get through it again for the sake of this class. I still don't really like it, but I appreciate it a little more the second time around. Thanks Prof. Vander-Lugt! :) Finally, the Doane text discusses mainly the story of L'eve Future in which there is again a 'female' automaton that in ways dominates the life of those around 'her' without even being human and capable of manipulation. This text also expands quite a lot on other modern automaton stories including The Stepford Wives, Blade Runner and the Alien movies.

juxtaposition- placing to things next to each other, or adjacent to each other
patriarch- male leader of a society or family- patriarchal society is a male dominated society
amalgamation- the mixing of various traits, socities, races etc.

What thoughts come to mind when thinking about the idea that marionette puppets are more perfect and balanced than humans? Recognizing the fact that they have no souls, is the perfection the hold desirable? Would you be willing to give up your emotions for the mechanical and physical perfection that automatons hold?

What possible arguments could be made for non-maternal machine parents, as discussed in the Doane article? How comforting is naming your computer automaton 'mother', as is done in Alien?

(Practice) Abstract #2

What it is: The Summary
The Bridges text (Chapter 1 of Die Mensch-Maschine) seeks to trace modern notions of cyborgs and robots to early automata, specifically in their representations by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Notions of "woman" and the "exotic other" are under particular scrutiny in this argument.
Doanne, in dealing with the "gendered cyborg" argues that, in representations of woman-machines of various sorts, reproduction is the issue in question, largely in terms of how it might be regulated. This issue is explored largely through the investigation of various films.
Terms and Concepts
transubstantiation: the idea that a thing may embody some other thing, for example, the body of Christ in a cracker.
preformationism: the (mistaken) idea that, in reproduction, offspring exists largely preformed in one of the parents.
Grazie: as defined in Bridges, a sort of ("natural") grace in movement that is not messed up by consciousness.
fetishism: unusual devotion, usually with sexual connotations.
technophilia: love of technology (or perhaps the concept thereof), as in that of the sci-fi enthusiast.
For Discussion
1. Bridges states, ". . . technologies of reproduction work to regulate the excesses of the maternal." From whence comes this notion of maternal excess?
2. In both texts, eyes are an important theme. What is it about eyes that's so important to the representation of cyborgs and other mechanical humanoids?
3. Why would E.T.A. Hoffmann write a fragment (Die Automate) which, by contemporary accounts, was highly unsatisfactory to the reader? (Could one read into this too much, or might there be something there?)
4. For what reason does Doanne semi-frequently name-drop Freud?
5. Why might technologies such as film and photography be dangerous?
6. According to Bridges, new studies led at the time of the early automata to the concept of the human body as a machine. How have conceptions of the body changed since that time?

Abstract 2

1.
The first chapter of the book Die Mensch-Maschine argues that E. T. A. Hoffman in his portrayals of automata is exploring societies technophobia. It looks at how as a result of the enlightenment the body became viewed as a machine allowing for the idea that automata could be mistaken for life. It also argues that these automata were seen as a work that had possibilities of incorporating the devil or god to give them souls.
The article Technophilia argues that fear of technology gets displaced to be fear of the feminine. It also looks at how in L’eve future a mother is needed in order for the robot women to gain a soul. It looks at how even a robot needs a maternal figure is needed in order for a robot to become whole. It also explores the idea that cinema is how we have been able to look at all the different ideas and fears we have about technology.
2.
Simulacrum- An artificial simulation of a human.
Technophobia- Fear of technology
Automata - A robotic automation of some type of living being
Technophilia
Production- The idea of the machine as a labor saving or producing device
Reproduction- The idea that certain robots or cyborgs are used to reproduce, simulate, life.

3.
Why was technophobia first experienced?
Why was the cyborg dancer in Kleist’a essay given a dead human dancer’s brain?
What is the significance that the cyborg was thought to be better at dancing then the original dancer?
Why would we chose to fear the feminine instead of placing that fear where it belongs in technology?
Why is the cinema a good place to express and explore or ideas and fears about technology

practice abstract

Summary
Mary Ann Doane's article tends to focus on the summaries of cinema that had to do with the creation of cyborgs, but mainly on L'Eve future. L'Eve future goes on to describe how Thomas Edison has created the perfect mechanical woman. He based the "perfect" physical qualities from a "beautiful temptress" in his friends life, her vocabulary consisted of the words of "great men", and her innerworkings were just wires and circuits that imitated the organic workings of the human body. After all that work and even sparking this women alive with the soul of an abandoned mother she still was not "human" because she lacked the main ability to reproduce. Bridges' article also deals with the problems of reproduction and basic human functions when it comes to mechanical humans. She then goes on to discuss and summarize stories that deal with the creation of cyborgs. The main point of the article is that it takes a collaboration between artists and scientists to create these working humanoid machines.

Terms
Technophilia- The fetishist love of technology.
Phallus Dentatus- well in this context it has to do with men's fear of childbirth and reproduction, making it out to be a deadly experience, but the actually meaning of Phallus Dentatus or "Toothed Penis" doesn't really making sense.
Dystopic- relating to a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding.
Automaton- a mechanical figure or contrivance constructed to act as if by its own motive power; robot.
Apocryphal- of doubtful authorship or authenticity.

Questions

1. In the Sandman, what is the significance of the role of Coppelius? What also is the significance of the scene where his fathers eyes are stolen by Coppelius?
2. What are your thoughts of the "Phallus Dentatus" in the movie Alien and the idea of men's fear of childbirth. Why did they choose to portray a man giving birth in such a grotesque way?
3. Do you think it is an equal effort of artists and scientists in the creation of cyborgs or machines? Can one be successful without the other?
   

Practice Abstract #2

1) summary
The first few pages of the Doane article focus on L'Eve future as the first visualization of a robot as the manifestation of the "ideal" woman. It relates the mention of Edison in the book to his connection to cinema and the way cinema in its first years was reacted to by the public. In L'Eve future the Edison character mentions, whether seriously or not, that he would defend men's love for their wives "who are so necessary to perpetuate the race (at least until a new order of things comes in)" and use soulless robot women as examples of "beautiful but deceptive" mistresses. Doane also reiterates the plot of Lang's Metropolis and interprets it as a representation of men's fear of women's reproductive power and of the female body.
Bridges' article critiques and debates about the goal of E.T.A. Hoffmann's Der Sandman, saying that an automaton is "more real than real," and that Hoffmann expresses this sentiment through the almost voiceless Olimpia, who for weeks and years escapes detection because she in addition to her natural human appearance is "soft-spoken" and "normal" among her "peers." What brought her true nature to light, then, was her inability to "dance a little out of time," her lack of human flaws. Bridges concludes that Hoffmann was merely addressing many of the questions and mysteries present in culture in the early 19th century and that his characters paved the way for the developing fantasies of the possibilities of science.

2) key terms

• Taylorism - refers to the works of Frederick Taylor who published The Principles of Scientific Management in 1911 and whose philosophy included, "Develop a "science" for every job, including rules motion, standardized work implements, and proper working conditions."
• Venus Victorious - an aspect of the armed Aphrodite that Greeks inherited from the East, where the goddess Ishtar "remained a goddess of war, and Venus could bring victory to a Sulla or a Caesar." (wikipedia.org)
• dystopic - having to do with a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding (dictionary.com)
• womb envy - a theme in Lang's Metropolis which theorizes that women portrayed by men as demonic seductive machines are a manifestation of men's fear and ignorance regarding the female body and female reproductive power
• phallus dentatus - representative of men's fear of childbirth, reinforced by the terrifying image of the alien gnawing its way out of the movie character's belly
• ELIZA effect - prompts us to perceive real beings as "less real" than robots who simulate them
• preformationism - espouses the notion that offspring originated in a complete but pre-formed state in one parent

3) questions

• What is the true difference between a real woman and the android Hadaly after she has been "sparked" by a mother? Why is Hadaly's "not-quite-human" state more attractive in L'Eve future than a real woman?
• "Woman as mother" and "woman as mistress" don't quite mix. What do both of these phrases imply regarding a woman's relationship to a man, and why does the Edison character feel the need to "validate" the dichotomy of the two? Can it be possible for the two to reconcile ever in the same woman at the same time?
• Bridges writes, "the act of creating these human simulacra held strong assocations with alchemy and therefore with forbidden occult practices." How did the lingering presence of alchemy influence the attitudes of the discursive community of the time toward technology? Have those attitudes carried on in any way into the present?
• Given that Olimpia's nearly mute disposition in Der Sandman is successful at disguising her as human, what does Hoffmann imply about the accepted or desireable behaviors of human women at the time?

I found both articles very informative about various works, but now I'm eager to actually see Metropolis, Alien, and Blade Runner and to read the Hoffmann works. Really for a deeper understanding of either article the reader has to be familiar with the works discussed. For probably half of the Bridges article, I skimmed the summaries of Der Sandman, etc because summaries are BORING and take the interest out of the films and books themselves. So it was a little harder to grasp some of the rhetoric.

Practice Abstract 2

Summary:
The Doane text, p 110-113, discussed Villers de I'Isle-Adam's text L'Eve future and Fritz Lang's film Metropolis. It brings up the importance of cinema as a means of exploration into the worlds we don't know or understand. Another point made is the idea that science fiction's portrayal of the female represents a sort of conventional understanding of the female. The Bridges text looks at some of different automaton models that have been brought about in the past and how they work to mystify and intrigue the public. It also analyzes the idea of the cyborg, or where human meets machine.

Terms:
automaton(automata)-mechanical figure constructed to at least appear to act of it's own volition
simulacrum- a representation
the "uncanny"- Freud's explanation for Nathanael's feelings once he found Olympia to be a "wooden doll"
posthuman- robot, cyborg, the like

Questions:
-Who actually created Olympia, and did Nathanael's father have something to do with her?
-The article says in one section that Olympia has no real eyes, just black holes and then later says that it was her human eyes that qualify her as a cyborg. Is the black hole comment a metaphor, and for what?
-When Coppelius tried to "unscrew" Nathanael's limbs(if that actually happened) may he have believed this to be possible because he thought the boy had been "created" by the father?
-What did it mean by cinema in the Doane article when it said "Edison's cinema reveals..." and talked about unmasking Evelyn Habal?
-The term "soulless" is used when talking about Alicia Clary, and what I think really confuses me is, who is Alicia Clary?
-How would Hadaly be able to be humanized by Mrs. Anderson?

I got much more interested in the Bridges reading towards the midpoint of the chapter. I have a feeling though that a lot of the confusion and questions that i had would be resolved if I read Der Sandman. It also talked about Marionettes and how they were really graceful but when I think of probots graceful isn't always the term that comes to mind. And the idea od being "more human than human" bugs me more than a little bit. The Doane article confused me a bit when it discussed the ideals of the cinema. It wasn't that i didn't understand, i just couldn't seem to make that connection. I would like to read L'Eve future as well now.

The Sandman

A 5-minute short film based on ETA Hoffmann's novelle and done in a style akin to German Expressionism.

A couple of related videos:
"Doll Face"
Paul Berry's short animation film "The Sandman"

After all of that reading, I have deduced several things. There is a lot to read and it's all very dense. I also found it all to be helpful. These three initial introductory readings give great background on technology and research surrounding women. The Balsamo article summarized a lot of conflicts that occur because of gender studies and used a lot of outside information and sources to help get her points on the table. She also seemed to put a lot of focus on the medical side of gender studies. The Bridges writings brought knowledge of 'Die Mensch-Maschine' to the front of the mind and gave a solid description of what Mensch-Maschine means and encompasses. Finally, the 'German Bodies' article dove into the history of body and gender studies throughout history. All three of these articles provided excellent foundations for this class. As hard as they were to get through, I have a feeling it will have been worth my time.

simulacrum- another word used to describe a representation of a person
corporeal feminism- this take on feminism focuses greatly on the physical body itself
objectification- the act of taking something and reducing it to an object or item and looking at it that way
iconography-the symbolism behind an object or idea

Can legitimate comparisons and groupings be made between places such as Disney's Main Street America and those in Brave New World, or the Sandman?

How do the Mensch-Maschinen created today compare to those originally made and dreamt of, other than being technologically advanced?

Labeling Posts with your name

Hi everyone,

Just a reminder to label your posts with your name so that all your posts will show up in the "members" list in the left-nav column (at the bottom of a post, you'll see a box for "Labels for this post" - just type in your first name and always use the same name).

Also, you'll notice that I edited some of your labels for 1) consistency (i.e. "Name" and "-Name" and "~Name" will create 3 different identities for you under "Members") and 2) for the sake of privacy (i.e. I took your last names off your posts), because, well, I'm kind of overprotective and perhaps a bit paranoid when it comes to students' privacy (since our blog is in the "public" domain and anyone can view it).

Let me know if you have any questions.  I look forward to your posts for next week!

Performing whiteness?

See it again! (and again, and again, and again...)

So, what do you think? (Click on "comments" below for a pop-up window to type in your feedback)

Practice Abstract #1

1) summary
The "Die Mensch-Maschine" intro by Bridges is the introduction to a study which attempts to explore the territories of gender-related and technological binaries and where they "interface and diverge" with specific references to German social and historical influences. Bridges quotes Haraway's "Cyborg Manifesto" extensively and bases much of the study off of Haraway's statements regarding the reproductive and imaginative boundaries as well as the social constructs of gender and technology. Both women use the social context of Nazi Socialism to exemplify their points.

2) terms

• technocratic policy - brings all citizens, technologies, and institutions into step to advance the state's goals.
• biological essentialism - I'm guessing this refers to what material is essential to consider something or someone a body
• eugenics - "The study of hereditary improvement of the human race by controlled selective breeding." (dictionary.com)
• Aura - the quality of a body or object that makes it the original, the living essence of something to separate it from its copies
• Border Wars - the discursive struggle to dismantle established and assumed binaries in an effort to redefine the boundaries of male/female, robot/human, technology/culture, etc.

3) questions

• How is the machine as a model for the perfect body good for humans? How is it bad?
• Are principles that were used by the Nazi regime (soldiers as mechanized cyborgs, etc.) still in use today by other nations/regimes?
• Is the Holocaust the only reason for the rest of the worlds' association of technology with German history and culture? Do other nations have experiences with technology which define their identities? What are some of these?
• Can technology positively influence the history and identity as well as the culture of a nation? I'm thinking about Japan maybe.

Pretty interesting article so far. I'd like to read more into how the Germans themselves are dealing culturally with their seemingly ubiquitous technological history. Are they shamed? Are they trying to fix things? Do they even think about it much anymore? Does the anti-Semitism of the 30s and 40s have some after effects like the racism of our country's past does?

Abstract #1

1) I found the Linke article to be the most interesting of the three. I understood that all three were connected on a very broad sense of looking at the human (mostly the female) body and how it has depiction/imagery has changed over time and is expected to change in the future. I did however make some smaller connections. The Balsamo and Linke article both brought forward the idea of devaluing the human body by breaking it down into only parts. The Bridges and Linke article both discussed a sort of history of body image.

2) Terms: Devalue, Automaton, hyperreality, political allegory

3) I really wasn’t that into Die Mensch-Maschine, although maybe getting further along in the writing will make it easier to understand or relate to. I really enjoyed the Linke article and the way that it talked about state control over an individuals body.

Summary of Balsamo Discussion

Group 1: pp. 5-6, from “Techno-Bodies are healthy, enhanced…” to “…docile creatures practice safe sex or self-destruct.”

Group 2: pp. 6-9, from “When the human body is fractured…” to “…gender remains a naturalized marker of human identity.”

Group 3: pp. 9-11, from “Despite the technological possibilities…” to “…as the stage for the enactment of gender.”

Group 4: pp. 11-12, from “This chapter begins…” to “…how the material female body is actually constructed by and within discourse.”

Group 5: pp. 20-21, from “Michel Foucault is not so much interested in the truth of the body…” to “…gender often functions for him as a natural given.”

Group 6: pp. 25-27, from “In keeping with Douglas’s line of analysis…” to “…how does one control a body that isn’t entirely knowable?”

Group 7: pp. 28-30, from “Panic Postmodernism and the Disappearing Body” to “…the very order of the system.” and pp. 31-32 quotation from Alice Jardine (“While proceeding from a ‘belief’…”)

Group 8: pp. 33 “Every cyborg image…” to “in the process, ultimately transformed.”

Form and Function

Hi everyone,

I'm enjoying reading your abstracts so far - you have lots of great insights and interesting ways of delving further into areas authors may have left unclear (or not argued convincingly).

One comment about the form and function of abstracts: Remember that an abstract is a formal piece of academic writing. It gives an objective, comprehensive overview of a text in as succinct a way as possible. Part of boiling the argument down to "2-3 sentences" is to force you to be concise and to leave out extraneous material (for example, "I thought it was boring" - does not tell us very much about the author's argument. Make sure you have made clear that you understand what the argument is first, then proceed to critique in the 3rd step [comments/questions].

Also, please be sure to use the format described in the calendar and in WebCT (i.e. a) argument, b) key terms, c) comments/questions). If you have additional comments you want to add in prose, that's fine, but be sure you've done a,b,c first. It's an organizing principle that helps you (ideally) boil down an article into a simple structure that will be helpful in 1) organizing a discussion about the article and 2) helping you remember what the article was about in a few weeks when you've forgotten the details.

Lastly, a note about reading strategy, which I touched on briefly the other day: Always position yourself FIRST as a "generous reader." I often read things that I absolutely hate and disagree with (or find boring, uninteresting, poorly written, largely unintelligible or the reverse: utterly simplistic), but I force myself to try and *see where this person is coming from* - and am often surprised that after thinking about it a while, I realize the person has a good point. In the past, I sometimes rejected things I read out of hand if I thought they were 1) jargonistic (e.g. highly intellectualized academic prose, which gets on pretty much everyone's nerves, including highly intellectual academics) or 2) "stupid." Then years later I went back to that same text and realized that I had blinded myself by my negative approach to the text and missed the point of what it was trying to accomplish. There is usually *something* you can take away from a text.

On a logistical note, please let me know via email if you have difficulties posting to the blog or downloading/printing articles, so that I can help rectify the situation. First, because when I read about it here on the blog, it's too late for me to do anything about it. And second, because an abstract is a formal academic piece of writing, so you want your prose to sound, well, formal and academic, which means: stay focused on the *content* of the course and our readings in your abstracts and blogs, rather than the logistics of the course or readings, which are better handled in person or via email.

Blog 2 - Balsamo, Bridges, Linke

1) The themes of these three texts seem to represent women's bodies and how they have been shown throughout history and even today. Balsamo points out that females were considered to be underdeveleoped males. Bridges themes were that of production, reproduction and imagination. Linke studies the social and symbolic violence in German culture in the post Nazism era.

2) Terms and phrases: die Mensch-Maschine - all relationships
replication/reproduction : simulacra/simulation
cyborg-combination of imagination and material reality
osmotic-magical
Haraway
biopower

3) Problems/comments
Development of the understanding of women over time was interesting in Balsamo
Use of Mensch only would exclude women
Debates over biotechnologies
"Body Worlds" - sounds disgusting yet interesting - 198 men shown to be healthy while 2 women shown diseased
What's symbolic of the description of the body?

Blog #2

Hallo and good evening!

The article about Die Menschenmacshine was long and tedious to me...especially considering it took about 20-30 minutes just to print the whole thing. It was kind of interesting to me that the author was going to be looking at how the connotation of the word was relating to the subject, but at the same time, basically kept repeating the same information. I also found it interesting that the author mentioned Brave New World by Huxley as being part of a fear of reproduction, when I always thought of Huxley's book to be more about sex and future technologies. While the book does have an interesting take on how people will be cloned and created it seemed to focus more on the technologies in the world and how people acted towards one another not just the clones. The article also talked about how men made these machines...you can't tell me a woman did not come up with any of these ideas? It might be an interesting article, who knows, we only had to read the intro.

The second article about the German Bodies I found extremely interesting. I went to Vegas in May with a friend and we visited the Bodies Experience created by Beijing University and got to actually see everything this article is discussing. The bodies were not gross or creepy in any way and I can't even begin to tell how much I learned about human bodies from just spending 45 minutes in this fabulous exhibit. I know that sounds kinda gross, because these once were human beings, but they donate their bodies to science, and chose this. I also thought this article was interesting talking about the history of inspecting bodies after death. It was nice to have a background to modern autopsies.

Blog 2

a) Most obviously, all three of these texts relate to the body in a broad sense, including ways in which science has changed perceptions thereof. Balsamo works from a more feminist/postmodern standpoint, where technology is at the forefront and opens new possibilities (not at all necessarily positive); Bridges covers some of the same concepts relating to technology, including various human/machine hybrids, but does not deal exclusively with gender and takes a more factual/historical rather than theoretical perspective. Linke is interested in National Socialism, which, in its connotations of blood, brings about some interesting ideas relating to birth and death as they relate to women.

b) Key Terms: Postmodern, Modern, Cyborg, Android, Automaton, Simulacra, Discourse, Corporal, Replication, Reproduction

c)Questions:

-Has technology benefited women in society?

-Do terms remain useful when their meaning becomes unclear (replication/reproduction, the various forms of artificial/enhanced humans)?

-In the world of "discourse", where does the individual figure in?

-Might it be relevant that the types of cyborgs depicted in fiction do generally not resemble anything in the real world? Maybe we're getting carried away here. . .

Comments:

It is interesting to see similarities between these texts; for instance, both Balsamo and Linke note the focus on men as the "default" body in different contexts.

I do wonder if taking a more multicultural view on gender might reveal a more complex view of things. That is to say, within the context of this course "Western" culture seems to be the source, where there might be other perspectives to consider. Which may be neither here nor there, given the reality of our circumstances.

The first reading from “Technologies of The Gendered Body” deals with the theme of how technology has made us view the body as fragmented pieces instead of as a whole body. It also looks at how the normal or standard for gender is the male body, and that by so doing female is reduced to merely a reproductive figure. It also looks at how the body has been turned into a social object instead of just a physical one.
The second reading from “Die Mensch-Machine: Technologies of Replication and Reproduction in German-Language Literature and Culture,” looks at the idea of how by making machines that are like living things it gives males the power to create so called life taking some of the magical power away from females. It also looks at through history how scientists have been viewed as dangerous others and artists have been seen as divinely inspired and that the maker of these cyborgs are artist/scientist. It then goes on to look at the story of “Der Sandman” and how these ideas apply.
The third reading “German Bodies,” deals with how the body is viewed especially in German culture through time. It looks a lot at the idea of blood being the most important factor. It also looks at how the tree is the symbol of genealogy and this shows the bloodlines almost as bearing fruit.
Key words/ Ideas
Sanguinity-the idea that of a society were “power speaks through blood”
Die mensch-machine - a word that has a feminine article that means human and machine.
Technology- The practices that bring about certain things within a cultural context.
Questions
What does the gender of Olimpia give or take away from the story ?
What are some examples that either show or do not show women being seen primarily for reproductive purposes?
What are some images of the body that are shown in culture and are the typically male or female?
How is blood and bloodlines seen as important and why?

Captain's Log #2

The Linke test seems to focus less on feminism and more on the usage of female identity in Modern Germany. The other texts, on the other hand, seem to be more focused on feminism as a basis for understanding and viewing modern trends.

I dislike the way articles view some of the issues out of context. Linke discusses the Body Worlds exhibit. She mentions in the article that only 2 of the bodies shown are female. However, she only mentions in passing that the bodies used are donated. It might just be few women donated their bodies. Then they might have just opted to display the unique characteristics of the female body with the few they had, and used the surplus of male bodies to demonstrate the characteristics shared by both genders.

Accessing readings

Hi all,

Two things:

1) You only have to read the INTRO to Bridges ("Die Mensch-Maschine") for tomorrow. Chapter One is for next week (but they're part of the same document in WebCT and a very large file that takes a while to download). If you're already read Chapter One, you'll have less to read next week (sorry for that confusion!).

2) Just a reminder that if you have any trouble downloading texts, you can find "hard copies" of them on reserve in the LSRC (3142 Pearson). Since server traffic causes WebCT to slow down, you might consider downloading the texts to your computer or printing them out a few days BEFORE the night before class (when there are likely to be lots of other people trying to download stuff from WebCT, so it may take extremely long - like 10 minutes - for something to download or show up in your browser OR your computer may just give up and crash your browser). Alternatively, you can check readings out from the LSRC reserve (there are folders with each text through Week 3 in alphabetical order of authors' last names) and photocopy them across the street at the UDCC copy center.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns regarding the readings - I've tried to make it as easy (and cost-effective) as possible, but of course there are always some minor glitches, and I'm happy to help you navigate those as best I am able.

-KVL