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?