The Culture of the Copy: Striking Likenesses Unreasonable Facsimiles

The Culture of the Copy is an unprecedented attempt to make sense of the Western fascination with replicas, duplicates, and twins. In a work that is breathtaking in 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 a stunning array of simulacra-counterfeits, decoys, mannequins, and portraits; ditto marks, genetic cloning, war games, and camouflage; instant replays, digital imaging, parrots, and photocopies; wax museums, apes, and art forgeries, not to mention the very notion of the Real Mc Coy. Working through a range of theories on biological, mechanical, and electronic reproduction, Schwartz questions the modern esteem for authenticity and uniqueness. The Culture of the Copy shows how the ethical dilemmas central to so many fields of endeavor have become inseparable from our pursuit of copies-of the natural world, of our own creations, indeed of our very selves. This updated edition takes notice of recent shifts in thought with regard to such issues as biological cloning, conjoined twins, copyright, digital reproduction, and multiple personality disorder. At once abbreviated and refined, it will be of interest to anyone concerned with proglems of authenticity, identity, and originality. Additional ISBNs0942299353, 193540850X, 1935408453, 9780942299359, 9781935408505, 9781935408451The Culture of the Copy: Striking Likenesses, Unreasonable Facsimiles is written by Hillel Schwartz and published by Zone Books. ISBNs for The Culture of the Copy are 9781935408512, 1935408518 and the print ISBNs are 9780942299359, 0942299353. Additional ISBNs include 0942299353, 193540850X, 1935408453, 9780942299359, 9781935408505, 9781935408451.