Neuromancer And Time Machine Essays - The Time Machine,

Neuromancer And Time Machine A common tool of science fiction writers is the use of a character, to whom the reader can relate, placed in an alien setting. This character will represent the reader in this new alien world or society, allowing the reader to form a link between his or her own world and this new one. Because these characters are placed in unfamiliar settings, a way is presented to defamiliarize our own society and perhaps even look at it in a new way, or from a new angle. These characters play a role in the novel that usually involves some interaction with this alien society that changes their perception of the alien world. It causes the characters to see the society or world in a new light, comparing it to their own more familiar society and seeing the benefits and weaknesses of both. These experiences usually cause these characters to alter their self-perception as well, changing due to the influence of these societies. Two such novels are Neuromancer, and The Time Machine. In Neuromancer, author William Gibson gives us the character Henry Case, or just Case, as he is referred to throughout the novel. The setting is in the near future, on Earth, and Case is living in a highly technologically advanced time. He used to be a console cowboy, a data thief that could hack into corporate systems and steal information. Case is recruited, against his will, to help an Artificial Intelligence named Wintermute free itself from containment. In this setting, laws exist to prevent the release of Artificial Intelligences into cyberspace, or what Gibson terms "the Matrix". These "Turing" laws are not the only methods of preventing AI's from becoming free. Along with the laws, computer security programs guard these AI's, much like other security programs guard information and corporate system. Wintermute requires Case to break through the security holding it in check. At first, Case is unaware of who or what Wintermute is, and he is forced to help it because Wintermute has caused toxin sacs to be placed in Case's bloodstream that will dissolve after a certain amount of time. If Case completes his job (the freeing of Wintermute), then a cure will be provided. This coercion causes Case to think of Wintermute as a kind of enemy, and he reluctantly helps it. His role is as a tool of an Artificial Intelligence, used against his will for purposes unclear to him. In direct contrast to this, the Time Traveller, from H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, decides his own course of action and, in fact, decides to help an "alien" race without their asking. The Time Traveller is a character from Britain in the late 19th century. He designs a time machine and is determined to travel into the future and return to describe what he has seen. He holds a dinner party for several of his friends where he relates his experiences in the future. He travels to the year 802,701 and discovers two different races, the Eloi and the Morlocks, inhabiting the earth ? the Eloi on the surface, and the Morlocks below. The first creature he encounters is a member the Eloi, a "very beautiful and graceful creature, but indescribably frail". He attempts to interact with the Eloi but because their language is so different, he has to slowly build a kind of communication through gestures and sounds. The Time Traveller sees the Eloi as the culmination of humankind, a delicate creature with no need for fear or any type of aggressive or competitive behaviour. When he finally discovers the Morlocks, who live below the surface, he sees them as monsters, "ape-like figures" with large, glassy eyes and pallid skin. Because of this, the Time Traveller identifies with the Eloi, and forms a relationship with one of them, a female named Weena. When he learns that the Morlocks are carnivorous, and eat the Eloi to survive, he sees the Morlocks as evil. And when he also learns that the Morlocks have stolen his time machine, he decides to fight them to get it back. His role as an observer, and later as a protagonist, is almost the exact opposite of Case's role in Neuromancer. During his "employment" by Wintermute, Case learns several about the Artificial Intelligence that affect the way he thinks about them. Along with recruiting Case, Wintermute has recruited other mercenaries to help free it. Each of these members has, in some way, been influenced to join in the task of freeing Wintermute, whether by force (like

What value is there for you in the study of the cinema of the past

What value is there for you in the study of the cinema of the past?Cinema as an art form has stood the test of time for over one hundred years, since the Lumiere Brothers exhibited a series of moving images to the public in 1895. What started off as a documentary-tableau style of moving photography progressed into a contrived and well-planned medium. New filmmakers were pushing the medium further. Georges Melies A Trip to the Moon (1902) showcased a vaudeville style previously only seen in theatres. Edward S. Porters The Life of an American Fireman (1903) and more so The Great Train Robbery of the same year put forward the idea of story telling through space and time, via the unique technique of editing scenes together. He also hinted at the importance of the protagonist and antagonist to carry the narrative through to the viewer.The success of these early films aroused the interest in several entrepreneurs who, having seen the great public demand, saw what could turn out to be a great money-spinner. The new place to be was California as the second gold rush began, that is, Hollywood. At first there was a large number of companies set up to cash in on this new industry. However, it was a highly competitive business and a lot of the equipment and talent was owned by a small number of larger companies, such as the Edison Company. This led to a number of small businesses going under or being bought up by the self-sufficient larger companies. By 1920 the system had calmed down somewhat. Hollywood was home to the production side of several large studios such as Universal, Paramount, First National, Loews-Metro (MGM) and Warners. These studios still had their front offices in New York to handle all financial transactions. Their integrated system of production, distribution and exhibition monopolised !the market and seemed impenetrable to anyone who was not affiliated with the Majors.The comp...

Titian's Venus of Urbino Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Titian's Venus of Urbino - Essay Example Venus is the Roman goddess of love, beauty, sexual seduction, and fertility. The sexualized nature of Venus’ mythological roots made her a ripe subject for Renaissance artists seeking to embrace this new freedom of expression. While perhaps not the most seminal incorporation of Venus imagery, Titan’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ painting is highly sensational in its depiction of a nude woman on a couch; indeed, Mark Twain even once referred to the work as a form of pornography. This essay situates Titan’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ within the context of the gender situation in Renaissance Italy and compares it with other Renaissance versions of Venus imagery, ultimately arguing that the image indicative of progressive Renaissance values, and to an extent an early incarnation of female objectification. Analysis In gaining a thorough contextual understanding of Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ (Fig. 1) it’s first necessary to situate the work in relation to the socio-cultural values, artistic trends, and gender perspectives of the time of the work’s creation. Fig. 1 Venus of Urbino One prominent such consideration is the nature of the work as framed in a window like format. There is a great many connotations within such Renaissance window imagery. One theorist notes that, â€Å"the window was often viewed as an erotically charged space for both prostitutes and -- at certain times – ‘proper’ women.†1 While for ‘Venus of Urbino’ this sexuality is in part indicative of Renaissance moral liberalization, in the context of Venus imagery this work is highly sexualized relative to other works. While the image’s highly sexualized nature is clear, the extent that this sexuality is indicative of progressive Renaissance values, or rather an early incarnation of female objectification is a debated subject. While individuals such as Joan Kelly has notably argued in favor of fe male objectification, Chojnacki instead contends that the Renaissance witnessed a shift in favor of women’s rights. He writes, â€Å"The spatial dimension of the state’s regulation of sexual behavior was more concretely present to Venetians in the case of prostitution.†2 In this mode of understanding one could potentially view the image as one empowerment. Still, it’s important to consider the nature of nude prostitutes and courtesans as being models for Venus. The image then can even be argued to take on a subversive quality, rebuking increased state regulation of sexual behavior. While a plethora of artists implemented Venus imagery during the Renaissance, this subject was a cyclical theme in Titian’s work. One of Titian’s prominent implementations of Venus occurs in his oil painting ‘Sacred and Profane Love’. Featured in Fig. 1 below, this work shares with Titian’s ‘Venus of Urbino’ the nude depiction of V enus. While the central focus in ‘Venus of Urbino’ was on the Venus figure, in this image Venus seemingly plays a secondary role to the depiction of the bride. Still, scholars have also argued that the bride is actually a different representation of Venus. Tinagli notes, â€Å"the two women represent two aspects of the goddess of love, respectively the Celestial Venus (platonic love) and the Terrestrial Venus (sensual love). Nakedness stands here for the purity of spirituality.†3 Fig. 2 Sacred and Profane