The Machine Stops. So Do We.


	The Machine Stops. So Do We.

abailart

1-3-2008 3:44 PM

191 views

tags:

forster, technological dystopias

abailart says:

The story is quite well known, 1938 i think, heavily anthologised in school short story collections. Other examples of less than enthusiasm for new technologies in interesting article at source.

Add a Comment

Login to Comment. Not a member yet? Sign up

View the Top Clips from January 3, 2008

Embed This Clip In Your Site...

<div style="margin: 12px 0px; font-family: arial; color: #333333; background: #ffffff; border: solid 4px #e5e5e5; width: 100%; clear: left;"><div class="CM_CTB_Content_Wrap" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;background-color: #ffffff;"><div style="border-bottom: solid 1px #dcdcdc; white-space: nowrap; margin-bottom: 8px; background-color: #eeeeee ;background-image: url(http://clipmarks.com/images/source-bg.gif); background-repeat: repeat-x; height: 24px; line-height: 24px; vertical-align: middle; padding-bottom: 4px; color: #666666; font-size: 10px;" ><a href="http://clipmarks.com/clip-to-blog/" title="see clips that are hot right now"><img src="http://content.clipmarks.com/blog_embed/4301aa2d-9729-4906-80fb-99d8ed7a856a/20A8DAAA-D4DF-4F53-B84B-8A6528A8CD56/" alt="" width="19" height="19" border="0" style="vertical-align: middle; margin: 0px 4px; display: inline; border: none; float:none;" /></a>clipped from <a title="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EKF/is_199606/ai_15055348" href="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EKF/is_199606/ai_15055348" style="font-size: 11px;">findarticles.com</a></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EKF/is_199606/ai_15055348">  In his little-known The Machine Stops, E.M. Forster's only science fiction short story, the author of the more familiar Howard's End wrote of a dehumanized world of the future in which people lived in cells and were attached to communications machines.  They sat in armchairs staring at television screens, which could provide anything desired.  These "players" rarely moved, or had anything to do with other humans.  When the machines broke down, they were incapable of action, since their manufactured lives were so dependent upon them.  Thus, says Mr. Forster, a revolution in communications would produce alienation.  This story was written almost a century ago, when its author feared modern civilization was doomed to sterility caused by an estrangement from nature.</blockquote><div style="height: 2px; font-size: 2px; background: #dcdcdc; border-bottom: solid 1px #f5f5f5; margin: 2px 4px;"></div><blockquote style="text-align: left; padding: 0px 8px; margin: 4px 0px 8px 0px; background: transparent; border: none;" cite="http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0EKF/is_199606/ai_15055348">  Those infatuated with the coming information superhighway might want to read The Machine Stops.  It won't change minds, but it would provide another view of a terribly complex subject</blockquote></div><div style="margin: 0px 6px 6px 4px;"><table style="font-size: 11px;border-spacing: 0px;padding: 0px;" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tr><td style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;">&nbsp;</td><td align="right" style="background:transparent;border-width:0px;padding:0px;width:107px" width="107"><a href="http://clipmarks.com/share/20A8DAAA-D4DF-4F53-B84B-8A6528A8CD56/blog/" title="blog or email this clip"><img src="http://content9.clipmarks.com/images/c2b-foot.png" border="0" alt="blog it" width="107" height="17" style="border-width:0px;padding:0px;margin:0px;" /></a></td></tr></table></div></div>

Clipmarks: Home; New Clips; Top Clips; Dashboard

Popular Topics: News; Life; Science; Technology; Entertainment

Get Started: Sign Up; Install Clipping Tool; How Clipping Works; Clip-to-Blog™; ClipSearch

Tools and Resources: FAQ; ClipWeek; Top Clippers; Top Tags; Site Map

About Clipmarks: About Us; Contact; Blog; Copyright; Privacy; EULA

Search Options

Related Clips

More clips from abailart

Today's Top Clips