Abstract
In this chapter, Peaty examines how the evolutions of science and technology have birthed a horde of literary horrors, from Mary Shelley’s “hideous progeny” to psychotic supercomputers. Starting with the Industrial Revolution, she explores the ongoing relationship between technology and horror, focusing on the links between science, technological innovation, and mechanised monstrosities in popular literature. Beginning with an overview of the historical context, the chapter outlines several key themes and novels of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries before shifting to consider how literary horror has responded to the networked technologies of the twenty-first century.
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Peaty, G. (2018). Monstrous Machines and Devilish Devices. In: Corstorphine, K., Kremmel, L. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook to Horror Literature. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-97406-4_23
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