Time Travel

David Wittenberg

Description

This book argues that time travel fiction is a narrative "laboratory," a setting for thought experiments in which essential theoretical questions about storytelling-and, by extension, about the philosophy of temporality, history, and subjectivity-are represented in the form of literal devices and plots.Drawing on physics, philosophy, narrative theory, psychoanalysis, and film theory, the book links innovations in time travel fiction to specific shifts in the popularization of science, from evolutionary biology in the late 1800s, through relativity and quantum physics in the mid-20th century, to more recent "multiverse" cosmologies. Wittenberg shows how increasing awareness of new scientific models leads to surprising innovations in the literary "time machine," which evolves from a "vehicle" used chiefly for sociopolitical commentary into a psychological and narratological device capable of exploring with great sophistication the temporal structure and significance of subjects, viewpoints, and historical events.The book covers work by well-known time travel writers such as H. G. Wells, Edward Bellamy, Robert Heinlein, Samuel Delany, and Harlan Ellison, as well as pulp fiction writers of the 1920s through the 1940s, popular and avant-garde postwar science fiction, television shows such as "The Twilight Zone" and "Star Trek," andcurrent cinema. Literature, film, and TV are read alongside theoretical work ranging from Einstein, Schrdinger, and Stephen Hawking to Grard Genette, David Lewis, and Gilles Deleuze. Wittenberg argues that even the most mainstream audiences of popular time travel fiction and cinema are vigorously engaged with many of the same questions about temporality, identity, and history that concern literary theorists, media and film scholars, and philosophers.

Sujets

• Philosophy
• Literary theory
• Media studies

Informations

• Publié par: Fordham University Press
• Date de parution: 01 janvier 2016
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780823273348
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

Time Travel

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é àé

The Popular Philosophy of Narrative

Davîd Wîttenberg

F o r d h a m U n i v e r s i t y P r e s s N e w Y o r k 2 0 1 3

Çô © 2013 ôà Ûéŝ éŝŝ

Ā ŝ éŝéé. ô à ô ŝ ûçàô à é éô- ûçé, ŝôé  à ééà ŝŝé, ô àŝé  à ô ô  à éàŝ—ééçôç, éçàçà, ôôçô, éçô, ô à ôé—éçé ô é qûôàôŝ  é ééŝ, ôû é ô éŝŝô ô é ûŝé.

ôà Ûéŝ éŝŝ àŝ ô éŝôŝ ô é éŝŝ- éçé ô àççûàç ô Ûŝ ô ééà ô -à ïéé éŝéŝ ééé ô  ŝ ûçàô à ôéŝ ô ûààéé à à çôé ô ŝûç éŝéŝ ŝ, ô  éà, àççûàé ô àôàé.

ôà Ûéŝ éŝŝ àŝô ûŝéŝ ŝ ôôŝ  à àé ô ééçôç ôàŝ. Śôé çôé à àéàŝ   à ô é àààé  ééçôç ôôŝ.

à ô Çôéŝŝ Çààô--ûçàô àà éé, à.  é àé : é ôûà ôŝô ô ààé / à éé. — 1ŝ é.  . ç.  ïçûéŝ ôàçà éééçéŝ à é.  ïŚ 978-0-8232-4996-1 (çô : à. àé)— ïŚ 978-0-8232-4997-8 (. : à. àé)  1. é éçéô  éàûé. 2. é àé  éàûé. 3. ààô (éôç) 4. éàûé— ôŝô. ï. é.  56.558 2013  809'.93384—ç23 2012029101 é  é Ûé Śàéŝ ô Āéçà 15 14 135 4 3 2 1 ŝ éô

for Lara and Leea

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Acknowedgments

ïôûçô: é àé à é éçàçŝ ô ààé àçôôçà çôŝ: Éôûôà Ûôà à é àé (1887–1905) Historical Interval I: é ŝ é àé Śô éà, ŝçôô, ààô: ééàé ô éé (1923–1941) Historical Interval II: éé àŝéŝ ô é àé /The Tîme Machîne “é  é”: ûé ôŝ, ààé éô, à Śûéŝàçé ààô à ààé: çû ààé éô Theoretical Interval: é àç ô é ŝûà  é àé ààé éô-Ôé-ŝôéŝ: ààé Çôŝéàô Star Trek Ôéûŝ ûé, ô, é Śûéç àŝ à é àé :Back to the Future Çôçûŝô: é àŝ é àé Śô

Notes Works Cîted Index

îx

1

33 47

52

79

91 116

143

148

178 205

237 277 297

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A c k n o w l e d g m e n t s

Ā éà ûé ô éôé éé é  ôû à çôéé ŝ ôô. àŝ ô ô Çàé,  àôà, àû àŝ, ôôŝ àô, ô àà, ô à, ô ûz, Jûà àŝé, à àéz, Éç éà, Jôé àŝôŝ,  ôé-ôé, àé Śéà, Śàô Śàô, çàé ôé, Āéŝ à Āé éé, àô à, à  ûéàûàé à àûàé ŝûéŝ à é Ûéŝ ô ïôà. àŝ àŝô ô  çôéàûéŝ  é ïéàôà Śôçé ô é Śû ô é, à ô é çûàôŝ à ààŝ à é ŝûé Éàô Çôéçô ô Śçéçé ç- ô à ààŝ à é Ûéŝ ô Çàôà, éŝé. Śéçà àŝ, àŝ ààŝ, ô Jû ûé, Jéà çà, à éé àà. ôŝ ô à, àŝ ô àà ûôz, ôŝé ŝûô ŝ à ô é  éé à.

ï àéû àçôéé ô éŝŝ ŝûà ûçàôŝ ô éŝŝô ô é Jô Jûé àéçà’ŝ ûŝàôŝ ô é 1981Dîstant Stars éŝô ô Śàûé éà’ŝEmpîre Star(ûŝàôŝ © ô éŝŝ ŝûà ûçàôŝ). Ā éàé éŝô ô  Çàé 6 àéàé  é ôûà Dîscourseé é “Ôéûŝ ûé, ô, é Śûéç àŝ à é  àé : ô éàŝ ôBack to the Future”; àŝ ô àé Śàé Ûéŝ éŝŝ ô éŝŝô ô é ŝ àéà. ï à àéû ô Çà à çàé ûà ô éŝŝô ô éôûçé à ŝçéé çàûé ô é éàçé é ôô, “Śçàé ô é Ûéŝé.”

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