Technophobia in David Cronenberg's Films

• Main Authors: Ai-ling Liao, 廖愛苓
• Other Authors: Steven Frattali
• Format: Others
• Language: en_US
• Published: 2004
• Online Access: http://ndltd.ncl.edu.tw/handle/9h7mp8

碩士 === 國立清華大學 === 外國語文學系 === 92 === Technology influences our lives tremendously. As history progresses, it seems that human beings depend more and more on it. Originally, the concept of technology referred to instruments that merely assist human beings; however, in the modern age, it is difficult to tell whether technology or humans are in control of society or human life. In this thesis, the ideas of modern thinkers like Martin Heidegger, Max Horkheimer, Theodor W. Adorno, as well as those of contemporary critics like Jacques Ellul and Günther Anders’s will be examined to understand what exactly is happening to the world and what humans can do to attempt to find ways out of the technological society. Along with these theoretical approaches, the Canadian director David Cronenberg’s three films, The Fly, Videodrome, and eXistenZ, as the representation of linear technological development will be considered to see how technology intrudes on human beings and how humans are caught in technology helplessly. It is through Cronenbergian films that viewers are able to obtain new points of view to question the existence value of technology. In Chapter One “Introduction,” the overall structure of and critical literature on the three films are discussed. The reason why I choose Cronenberg’s films and the comments other critics make to the director are introduced here in the first part. The second part summarizes the critics’ concepts of technology in order to frame the basic question of the essence, characteristics, and impact of technology. In addition, the concept of auteurism and of genre criticism are introduced as tools for understanding Cronenberg’s films. Chapter Two “David Cronenberg and His Films” introduces the characteristics of the director and his films in detail for readers to know the reason makes his films worth discussing. The first part focuses on Cronenberg’s own philosophical ideas, while the second part discusses the special genre he adopts, “horror in science fiction”. In Chapter Three “Theoretical Backgound,” attempts to understand technology more completely. Its essence and characteristics are introduced as the first part; then, its tremendous danger to human beings is also discussed, in order to understand more completely how technology affects people. The third section provides a solution to humans for how to face their predicament in a technological culture. Chapter Four “The Convergence between Humans and Technological Machines,” discusses how the machines and the heroes in the three films turn into each other gradually. Machines become more organic with more power, while humans like to be technologized without any consciousness of getting weaker. Chapter Five “The Impacts that Technology Brings to Human Beings” is the case study on the heroes in the three films. Under the technological invasion, the heroes have less and less power to think, to control themselves, and to know themselves. To the third film, the heroes are unable to escape the fate of being trapped in technology. However, humans still possess a chance to fight against the restraint from technology: through the works of art, humans can reflect and question technology.