Universes without us posthuman cosmologies in American literature
(eBook)
Author
Published
Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, [2013].
Physical Desc
1 online resource (279 pages) : illustrations
Status
More Details
Format
eBook
Language
English
ISBN
9781452940519 (e-book)
Notes
General Note
Based on the author's thesis (Ph. D.) -- The Johns Hopkins University, 2009.
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Description
" During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a wide variety of American writers proposed the existence of energies connecting human beings to cosmic processes. From varying points of view--scientific, philosophical, religious, and literary--they suggested that such energies would eventually result in the perfection of individual and collective bodies, assuming that assimilation into larger networks of being meant the expansion of humanity's powers and potentialities--a belief that continues to inform much posthumanist theory today. Universes without Us explores a lesser-known countertradition in American literature. As Matthew A. Taylor's incisive readings reveal, the heterodox cosmologies of Edgar Allan Poe, Henry Adams, Charles Chesnutt, and Zora Neale Hurston reject the anthropocentric fantasy that sees the universe as a kind of reservoir of self-realization. For these authors, the world can be made neither "other" nor "mirror." Instead, humans are enmeshed with "alien" processes that are both constitutive and destructive of "us." By envisioning universes no longer our own, these cosmologies picture a form of interconnectedness that denies any human ability to master it. Universes without Us demonstrates how the questions, possibilities, and dangers raised by the posthuman appeared nearly two centuries ago. Taylor finds in these works an untimely engagement with posthumanism, particularly in their imagining of universes in which humans are only one category of heterogeneous thing in a vast array of species, objects, and forces. He shows how posthumanist theory can illuminate American literary texts and how those texts might, in turn, prompt a reassessment of posthumanist theory. By understanding the posthuman as a materialist cosmology rather than a technological innovation, Taylor extends the range of thinkers who can be included in contemporary conversations about the posthuman. "--,Provided by publisher.
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Subjects
LC Subjects
Adams, Henry, -- 1838-1918 -- Criticism and interpretation.
American literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism.
American literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism.
Chesnutt, Charles W. -- (Charles Waddell), -- 1858-1932 -- Criticism and interpretation.
Cosmology in literature.
Human beings in literature.
Humanity in literature.
Hurston, Zora Neale -- Criticism and interpretation.
Order (Philosophy) in literature.
Poe, Edgar Allan, -- 1809-1849 -- Criticism and interpretation.
Self in literature.
American literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism.
American literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism.
Chesnutt, Charles W. -- (Charles Waddell), -- 1858-1932 -- Criticism and interpretation.
Cosmology in literature.
Human beings in literature.
Humanity in literature.
Hurston, Zora Neale -- Criticism and interpretation.
Order (Philosophy) in literature.
Poe, Edgar Allan, -- 1809-1849 -- Criticism and interpretation.
Self in literature.
Other Subjects
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Citations
APA Citation, 7th Edition (style guide)
Taylor, M. A. (2013). Universes without us: posthuman cosmologies in American literature . University of Minnesota Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Taylor, Matthew A., 1978-. 2013. Universes Without Us: Posthuman Cosmologies in American Literature. University of Minnesota Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities (Notes and Bibliography) Citation, 17th Edition (style guide)Taylor, Matthew A., 1978-. Universes Without Us: Posthuman Cosmologies in American Literature University of Minnesota Press, 2013.
MLA Citation, 9th Edition (style guide)Taylor, Matthew A. Universes Without Us: Posthuman Cosmologies in American Literature University of Minnesota Press, 2013.
Note! Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy. Citation formats are based on standards as of August 2021.
Staff View
Grouped Work ID
eb96d1f9-df26-303b-5e39-06ed5da47c86-eng
Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | eb96d1f9-df26-303b-5e39-06ed5da47c86-eng |
---|---|
Full title | universes without us posthuman cosmologies in american literature |
Author | taylor matthew a |
Grouping Category | book |
Last Update | 2022-06-07 21:23:19PM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-24 05:28:54AM |
Book Cover Information
Image Source | syndetics |
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First Loaded | Jun 28, 2022 |
Last Used | Apr 8, 2024 |
Marc Record
First Detected | Aug 09, 2021 12:30:22 PM |
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Last File Modification Time | Nov 22, 2021 08:44:52 AM |
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245 | 1 | 0 | |a Universes without us |h [eBook]:|b posthuman cosmologies in American literature /|c Matthew A. Taylor. |
246 | 3 | 0 | |a Posthuman cosmologies in American literature |
264 | 1 | |a Minneapolis :|b University of Minnesota Press,|c [2013] | |
264 | 4 | |c ©2013 | |
300 | |a 1 online resource (279 pages) :|b illustrations | ||
336 | |a text|2 rdacontent | ||
337 | |a computer|2 rdamedia | ||
338 | |a online resource|2 rdacarrier | ||
500 | |a Based on the author's thesis (Ph. D.) -- The Johns Hopkins University, 2009. | ||
504 | |a Includes bibliographical references and index. | ||
505 | 8 | |a Machine generated contents note: -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction: Immortal Post-Mortems -- 1. Edgar Allan Poe's Meta/Physics -- 2. Henry Adams's Half-Life: The Science of Autobiography -- 3. "By an Act of Self-Creation": On Becoming Human in America -- 4. Hoodoo You Think You Are?: Self-Conjuration in Chesnutt's The Conjure Woman -- 5. "It Might Be the Death of You": Hurston's Voodoo Ethnography -- Coda: "The Cosmo-Political Party" -- Notes -- Index. | |
520 | |a " During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, a wide variety of American writers proposed the existence of energies connecting human beings to cosmic processes. From varying points of view--scientific, philosophical, religious, and literary--they suggested that such energies would eventually result in the perfection of individual and collective bodies, assuming that assimilation into larger networks of being meant the expansion of humanity's powers and potentialities--a belief that continues to inform much posthumanist theory today. Universes without Us explores a lesser-known countertradition in American literature. As Matthew A. Taylor's incisive readings reveal, the heterodox cosmologies of Edgar Allan Poe, Henry Adams, Charles Chesnutt, and Zora Neale Hurston reject the anthropocentric fantasy that sees the universe as a kind of reservoir of self-realization. For these authors, the world can be made neither "other" nor "mirror." Instead, humans are enmeshed with "alien" processes that are both constitutive and destructive of "us." By envisioning universes no longer our own, these cosmologies picture a form of interconnectedness that denies any human ability to master it. Universes without Us demonstrates how the questions, possibilities, and dangers raised by the posthuman appeared nearly two centuries ago. Taylor finds in these works an untimely engagement with posthumanism, particularly in their imagining of universes in which humans are only one category of heterogeneous thing in a vast array of species, objects, and forces. He shows how posthumanist theory can illuminate American literary texts and how those texts might, in turn, prompt a reassessment of posthumanist theory. By understanding the posthuman as a materialist cosmology rather than a technological innovation, Taylor extends the range of thinkers who can be included in contemporary conversations about the posthuman. "--|c Provided by publisher. | ||
588 | |a Description based on print version record. | ||
600 | 1 | 0 | |a Poe, Edgar Allan,|d 1809-1849|x Criticism and interpretation. |
600 | 1 | 0 | |a Adams, Henry,|d 1838-1918|x Criticism and interpretation. |
600 | 1 | 0 | |a Chesnutt, Charles W.|q (Charles Waddell),|d 1858-1932|x Criticism and interpretation. |
600 | 1 | 0 | |a Hurston, Zora Neale|x Criticism and interpretation. |
650 | 0 | |a Cosmology in literature. | |
650 | 0 | |a American literature|y 19th century|x History and criticism. | |
650 | 0 | |a American literature|y 20th century|x History and criticism. | |
650 | 0 | |a Humanity in literature. | |
650 | 0 | |a Human beings in literature. | |
650 | 0 | |a Self in literature. | |
650 | 0 | |a Order (Philosophy) in literature. | |
655 | 4 | |a Electronic books. | |
776 | 0 | 8 | |i Print version:|a Taylor, Matthew A.|t Universes without us : posthuman cosmologies in American literature.|d Minneapolis : University of Minnesota Press, [2013]|h viii, 269 pages|z 9780816680610|w (DLC)10843271 |
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856 | 4 | 0 | |u http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/yln-ebooks/detail.action?docID=1643684|x Yavapai Library Network|y All other users click here to access |
945 | |a E-Book |