The Culture of the Copy is an unprecedented attempt to make sense of our Western fascination with replicas, duplicates, and twins. Through intriguing historical analysis and case studies in contemporary culture, Hillel Schwartz investigates most varieties of simulacra, while working through a range of modernist, feminist, and postmodern theories about copies and mechanical reproduction. This work is a stunning, innovative blend of microsociology, cultural history, and philosophical reflection that will fascinate anyone concerned with problems of authenticity, identity, and originality.
Review text:
'If God is in the details, then this book is surely divine or, at least, demonic. Siamese twins and doppelgauml;ngers, parrots and apes, decoys and mannequins, robots and clones, impostors and pretenders are but a few of the stops on this dizzying and dazzling tour de force of every conceivable trompe l'oeil .'
-- Francis Kane, New York Times Book Review
Review text:
'If God is in the details, then this book is surely divine or, at least, demonic. Siamese twins and doppelgauml;ngers, parrots and apes, decoys and mannequins, robots and clones, impostors and pretenders are but a few of the stops on this dizzying and dazzling tour de force of every conceivable trompe l'oeil .'
-- Francis Kane, New York Times Book Review