CAPEK'S ROBOTS

CAPEK'S ROBOTS
   Machines that seem like humans..that's been a theme of science fiction since its earliest days. But the word “robot” wasn’t coined until 1920.Karel Capek, a Czech writer, published a play called R.U.R., which stands for "Rossum's Universal Robots." The word "robot" comes from "robota," which means "work" in Czech. Although Capek's robots were near-human creatures who were exploited for their labor value, "robot" went on to signify machines in human form.The word didn't catch on in English until the 1930s, and the first use of the word "robot" in the United States was probably in Eando Binder's 1935 story, "The Robot Aliens".. which may also be the first story in which the word "alien" is used to describe an extraterrestrial.

Science Fiction and Fantasy Encyclopedia. . 2011.

Игры ⚽ Нужна курсовая?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Čapek —   [ tʃapɛk],    1) Josef, tschechischer Schriftsteller und Maler, * Hronov (Ostböhmisches Gebiet) 23. 3. 1887, ✝ im KZ Bergen Belsen im April 1945, Bruder von 2); schrieb, zum Teil mit seinem Bruder, Dramen, Erzählungen, Romane und Essays voller… …   Universal-Lexikon

  • CAPEK (K.) — Avant toute chose, Karel face= EU Caron アapek a été le grand écrivain d’un petit pays. Ce point de vue national, on l’explique, on l’excuse, quand on veut bien se souvenir que ce petit pays, que rassurait la célébrité européenne d’un dramaturge… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Čapek — (izg. čàpek) DEFINICIJA 1. Josef (1890 1938), brat Karela s kojim je zajedno pisao neke pripovijetke i drame 2. Karel (1890 1938), najznačajnije ime češke književnosti između dva svjetska rata; pripovjedač, dramski pisac, esejist, novinar, dječji …   Hrvatski jezični portal

  • Capek — (Karel) (1890 1938) écrivain tchèque: R.U.R., les robots universels de Rossum, drame de science fiction dans lequel apparaît le mot robot (1924) …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Robots in literature — Robots appear in a wide variety of literature. The first use of the word in its modern sense was in Karel Čapek s play R.U.R. (Rossum s Universal Robots) (written in 1920; first performed in Czechoslovakia in 1921; performed in New York in 1922;… …   Wikipedia

  • Capek, Karel — Ča·pek (chäʹpĕk ), Karel. 1890 1938. Czech writer noted for his science fiction, such as the play R.U.R. (1921), and his psychologically penetrating novels, including An Ordinary Life (1934). * * * born Jan. 9, 1890, Malé Svatoňovice, Bohemia,… …   Universalium

  • Capek, Karel — ► (1890 1938) Novelista y autor teatral checo. Autor de R.U.R. (Rossum´s Universal Robots, 1920). Entre sus novelas destaca La guerra de las salamandras (1936). * * * (9 ene. 1890, Malé Svatonovice, Bohemia, Imperio Austro Húngaro–25 dic. 1938,… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • R.U.R. (Rossum's Universal Robots) — is a science fiction play by Karel Čapek. It premiered in 1921 and is famous for having introduced and popularized the term robot .OverviewThe play begins in a factory that makes artificial people mdash; they are called Robots, but are closer to… …   Wikipedia

  • List of fictional robots and androids — This list of fictional robots and androids is a chronological list, categorised by medium. It includes all depictions of robots, androids and gynoids in literature, television, and cinema; however, robots that have appeared in more than one form… …   Wikipedia

  • Karel Čapek — Čapek redirects here. For other uses, see Čapek (disambiguation). The title of this article contains the character Č. Where it is unavailable or not desired, the name may be represented as Karel Capek. Karel Čapek …   Wikipedia

  • Karel Čapek — Pour les articles homonymes, voir Čapek. Karel Čapek Naissance 9 janvier  …   Wikipédia en Français

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”