Gerald Stanley Lee

The Voice Of The Machines (eBook, ePUB)

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

Excerpt: It would be difficult to find anything in the encyclopaedia that would justify the claim that we are about to make, or anything in the dictionary. Even a poem-which is supposed to prove anything with a little of nothing-could hardly be found to prove it, but in this beginning hour of the twentieth century there are not a few of us-for the time at least allowed to exist upon the earth-who are obliged to say (with Luther), "Though every tile on the roundhouse be a devil, we cannot say otherwise-the locomotive is beautiful." As seen when one is looking at it as it is, and is not merely using it. As seen from a meadow. We had never thought to fall so low as this, or that the time would come when we would feel moved-all but compelled, in fact-to betray to a cold and discriminating world our poor, pitiful, one-adjective state. We do not know why a locomotive is beautiful. We are perfectly aware that it ought not to be. We have all but been ashamed of it for being beautiful-and of ourselves. We have attempted all possible words upon it-the most complimentary and worthy ones we know-words with the finer resonance in them, and the air of discrimination the soul loves. We cannot but say that several of these words from time to time have seemed almost satisfactory to our ears.

---

Dieser Download kann aus rechtlichen Gründen nur mit Rechnungsadresse in A, B, BG, CY, CZ, D, DK, EW, E, FIN, F, GR, HR, H, IRL, I, LT, L, LR, M, NL, PL, P, R, S, SLO, SK ausgeliefert werden.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: OTB eBook publishing
• Seitenzahl: 193
• Erscheinungstermin: 22. November 2019
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9783965376793
• Artikelnr.: 58385613

Autorenporträt

Gerald Stanley Lee (1862-1944) was an astute American editor, lecturer, and essayist, who expressed a deep fascination with the interplay between technology and human experience in the early 20th century. Born in Lee, Illinois, he graduated from Smith College in 1889 and eventually settled in Massachusetts. Known for his poignant and often prescient reflections on society, Lee's work delved into the spiritual and moral aspects of the mechanized age, a theme most prominently showcased in his book 'The Voice of the Machines' (1906). In this volume, Lee gives life and persona to machines, suggesting that they carry the collective voice of progress and the human spirit's transformation. His literary style in 'The Voice of the Machines' and elsewhere is marked by an imaginative and humanistic approach to technology and industry, which was relatively uncommon during a time when many viewed machinery solely as impersonal and dehumanizing forces. A precursor to later thoughts on the symbiosis between man and machine, Lee's writings provided early commentary on the burgeoning relationship between society and its mechanical creations, while maintaining an accessible and engaging narrative voice that appealed to a broad audience. Lee's contributions to American literature and cultural critique serve as a noteworthy reflection on the challenges and opportunities presented by technological advancement in the early stages of the 20th century.