Description: Part technological history of the emergent new media in the late 19th century, part theoretical discussion of the responses to these media--including texts by Rilke, Kafka, and Heidegger, as well as elaborations by Edison, Bell, Turing, and other innovators--this book analyzes this momentous shift using insights from Foucault, Lacan, and McLuhan.
Review Quotes: "Kittler's thesis is timely and intriguing. . . . To read this book is to take a wild ride through philosophy, music, the visual arts, popular culture, engineering, psychoanalysis, the history of science, literature, communication studies, film studies, and more. . . . This book belongs on any reading list in media studies, and should be essential for anyone interested in the intersections of comparative literature, literary theory, and media studies. Gramaphone, Film, and Typewriter is a stunning achievement. . . ."--The Comparalist