https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-czech-play-that-gave-us-the-word-robot?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

"Karel Čapek's play 'R.U.R.' premiered in January 1921. Its influence cannot be overstated."

MIT Press Reader

By John M. Jordan

By the time his play “R.U.R.” (which stands for “Rossum’s Universal Robots”) premiered in Prague in 1921, Karel Čapek was a well-known Czech intellectual. Like many of his peers, he was appalled by the carnage wrought by the mechanical and chemical weapons that marked World War I as a departure from previous combat. He was also deeply skeptical of the utopian notions of science and technology. “The product of the human brain has escaped the control of human hands,” Čapek told the London Saturday Review following the play’s premiere. “This is the comedy of science.”

In that same interview, Čapek reflected on the origin of one of the play’s characters...

(snip)

On Thu, 18 Jan 2024 11:55:17 -0800, Lenona wrote:

> https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-czech-play-that-gave-us-the-word-
robot?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us
>
> "Karel Čapek's play 'R.U.R.' premiered in January 1921. Its influence
> cannot be overstated."
>
> MIT Press Reader
>
> By John M. Jordan
>
> By the time his play “R.U.R.” (which stands for “Rossum’s Universal
> Robots”) premiered in Prague in 1921, Karel Čapek was a well-known
> Czech intellectual. Like many of his peers, he was appalled by the
> carnage wrought by the mechanical and chemical weapons that marked
> World War I as a departure from previous combat. He was also deeply
> skeptical of the utopian notions of science and technology. “The
> product of the human brain has escaped the control of human hands,”
> Čapek told the London Saturday Review following the play’s premiere.
> “This is the comedy of science.”
>
> In that same interview, Čapek reflected on the origin of one of the
> play’s characters...
>
>
> (snip)

I see in the newspaper archives that the play got a big boost
in September 1922 by having its first American performance
mentioned in "New York Letter," a nationally syndicated
gossip column by Lucy Jeanne Price.

In article <nWLqN.67676$GX69.6058@fx46.iad>,
Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
>On Thu, 18 Jan 2024 11:55:17 -0800, Lenona wrote:
>
>> https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-czech-play-that-gave-us-the-word-
>robot?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us
>>
>> "Karel Čapek's play 'R.U.R.' premiered in January 1921. Its influence
>> cannot be overstated."
>>
>> MIT Press Reader
>>
>> By John M. Jordan
>>
>> By the time his play “R.U.R.” (which stands for “Rossum’s Universal
>> Robots”) premiered in Prague in 1921, Karel Čapek was a well-known
>> Czech intellectual. Like many of his peers, he was appalled by the
>> carnage wrought by the mechanical and chemical weapons that marked
>> World War I as a departure from previous combat. He was also deeply
>> skeptical of the utopian notions of science and technology. “The
>> product of the human brain has escaped the control of human hands,”
>> Čapek told the London Saturday Review following the play’s premiere.
>> “This is the comedy of science.”
>>
>> In that same interview, Čapek reflected on the origin of one of the
>> play’s characters...
>>
>>
>> (snip)
>
>
>
>I see in the newspaper archives that the play got a big boost
>in September 1922 by having its first American performance
>mentioned in "New York Letter," a nationally syndicated
>gossip column by Lucy Jeanne Price.

I was aware of the play, though I have never seen or read it. I think it
had a big influence on early SF. Van Vogt in particular, seemed to go with
Capek-like robots rather than the clanky kind.
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..

On 1/20/24 1:33 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> In article <nWLqN.67676$GX69.6058@fx46.iad>,
> Charles Packer <mailbox@cpacker.org> wrote:
>> On Thu, 18 Jan 2024 11:55:17 -0800, Lenona wrote:
>>
>>> https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-czech-play-that-gave-us-the-word-
>> robot?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us
>>>
>>> "Karel Čapek's play 'R.U.R.' premiered in January 1921. Its influence
>>> cannot be overstated."
>>>
>>> MIT Press Reader
>>>
>>> By John M. Jordan
>>>
>>> By the time his play “R.U.R.” (which stands for “Rossum’s Universal
>>> Robots”) premiered in Prague in 1921, Karel Čapek was a well-known
>>> Czech intellectual. Like many of his peers, he was appalled by the
>>> carnage wrought by the mechanical and chemical weapons that marked
>>> World War I as a departure from previous combat. He was also deeply
>>> skeptical of the utopian notions of science and technology. “The
>>> product of the human brain has escaped the control of human hands,”
>>> Čapek told the London Saturday Review following the play’s premiere.
>>> “This is the comedy of science.”
>>>
>>> In that same interview, Čapek reflected on the origin of one of the
>>> play’s characters...
>>>
>>>
>>> (snip)
>>
>>
>>
>> I see in the newspaper archives that the play got a big boost
>> in September 1922 by having its first American performance
>> mentioned in "New York Letter," a nationally syndicated
>> gossip column by Lucy Jeanne Price.
>
> I was aware of the play, though I have never seen or read it. I think it
> had a big influence on early SF. Van Vogt in particular, seemed to go with
> Capek-like robots rather than the clanky kind.

"R.U.R" was actually assigned reading in one of my high school classes.
At this remove, I don't remember anything about the story except the
feeling that I enjoyed it, but it wasn't great.

Tony