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"If God is in the details, then this book is surely divine or, atleast, demonic. Siamese twins and doppelgangers, parrots andapes, decoys and mannequins, robots and clones, impostors andpretenders are but a few of the stops on this dizzying and dazzlingtour de force of every conceivable trompe l'oeil." Francis Kane , New York Times Book Review
Product Description
The Culture of the Copy is an unprecedented attempt to make sense of our Western fascination with replicas, duplicates, and twins. In a work that is breathtaking in both its synthetic and critical achievements, Hillel Schwartz charts the repercussions of our entanglement with copies of all kinds, whose presence alternately sustains and overwhelms us.Through intriguing, and at times humorous, historical analysis and case studies in contemporary culture, Schwartz investigates most varieties of simulacra, including counterfeits, decoys, mannequins, ditto marks, portraits, genetic cloning, war games, camouflage, instant replays, digital imaging, parrots, photocopies, wax museums, apes, art forgeries, not to mention the very notion of the Real McCoy.At the same time Schwartz works through a range of modernist, feminist, and postmodern theories about copies and mechanical reproduction, posing the following compelling question: How is it that the ethical dilemmas at the heart of so many fields of endeavor have become inseparable from our pursuit of copies -- of the natural world, or our own creations, indeed our very selves?The Culture of the Copy is a stunning, innovative blend of microsociology, cultural history, and philosophical reflection that will fascinate anyone concerned with problems of authenticity, identity, and originality.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A really interesting book, with a fantastically refreshing art slant to the subject of twins. Has aided my research into the topic of twins in both a creative and informative way. Too much twin literature is symptomatic to a manual on bringing up twins or their twin-experiences themselves. Being an identical twin myself I thoroughly enjoyed the examination into how 'doubleness sells' and how we can compromise the values that are placed on individuals.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is an excellent book that could have been much much more. Our current ability to create a world of likenesses and copies has changed the way we look at the world. And this well written work discusses just how many issues, from twins, to copied documents, to ethnolographic film, are informed by our search for the "real" in a world of "copies." Yet this work never becomes anything more than a well written, entertaining series of well-selected anecdotes. The philosophical issues, the absurdity of any idea of "identity" or metaphysical "difference," in a world in which identities are fabricated, is never touched upon. This work could have been a philosophical tome, changing the way I thought; unfortunately it only made me chuckle at how people have been confused by twins
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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3 reviews
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful
And?... Your point is?
9 Jan 1999
Format:Hardcover
This is an excellent book that could have been much much more. Our current ability to create a world of likenesses and copies has changed the way we look at the world. And this well written work discusses just how many issues, from twins, to copied documents, to ethnolographic film, are informed by our search for the "real" in a world of "copies." Yet this work never becomes anything more than a well written, entertaining series of well-selected anecdotes. The philosophical issues, the absurdity of any idea of "identity" or metaphysical "difference," in a world in which identities are fabricated, is never touched upon. This work could have been a philosophical tome, changing the way I thought; unfortunately it only made me chuckle at how people have been confused by twins
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
You won't find a better book than this.
13 Nov 2005
Format:Paperback
This book covers so many varieties of imitation types that you can't go wrong in reading it. It is particularly useful if you are interested in the imitation aspect involved in some subject, such as camouflage or doppelgangers, that won't have this idea covered well enough under its own title. The book is a cultural/ historical chronicle with enough research done by the author to make it stand out on the shelves.
4 of 30 people found the following review helpful
thinking-lite
9 Oct 2002
Format:Paperback
A travesty. Schwartz, in this book, does nothing but reformulate older theories and water them down in a text that should be titled "The Idiot's Guide to the Copy."
Although passing himself off as a scholar, Schwartz has never been able to receive tenure at any college or university. Simplisitic accounts of what could otherwise be a fascinating philosophical study do little to further his reputation.
Although passing himself off as a scholar, Schwartz has never been able to receive tenure at any college or university. Simplisitic accounts of what could otherwise be a fascinating philosophical study do little to further his reputation.
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