Publication details
R.U.R. - dystopie o modernitě, sociologický přístup
| Title in English | R.U.R. - a dystopia about modernity; a sociological approach |
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| Authors | |
| Year of publication | 2019 |
| Type | Appeared in Conference without Proceedings |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | One of the essential sources of information for the sociological study of social changes related to the development of modernity in the 19th and 20th centuries is undoubtedly also beautiful literature. Čapek's texts are one of the most attractive Czech sources reflecting the development of modernism and the state of contemporary society. Although RUR is currently known primarily as a work where the internationally used word robot appeared later, it is not about robots in its essence. In my paper, I will analyze one of Čapek's first plays as a specific dystopic vision of society that sees its future. Still, for the sociological perspective, it is much more important how it reflects its presence. I want to show that the famous critique of technological progress is only a partial message of the drama and that it can be read as a critique of modern society in general. The vision of the play is not just about how unpleasantly anticipating the possibilities and impacts of technological advancement. Its sociological value is also in a precise reflection of the power (social) technology that was actually produced and re-interpreted by the "working-class bodies" in the era of organized modernity, in a period of developing mass consumption and production. |