Description

Book Synopsis

Satirical yet prophetical advertisements for imaginary new products, influential to Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia

Originally published in book form in 1916, this volume of French author Gaston de Pawlowski's (18741933) writings, New Inventions and the Latest Innovations, collects the humorist's fictional columns mocking his era's burgeoning consumerism and growing faith in science. From anti-slip soap, gut rests and the pocket-sized yardstick to repurposed spittoons, nasal vacuums, electric oysters and musicographical revolvers, Pawlowski offers a far-sighted critique of technological gadgetry and a cynical promise to remove discomfort from every facet of life, even as World War I raged on and technology was unleashing new horrors onto humanity.
Pawlowski's humorous cultural critique and tongue-in-cheek celebration of uselessness and futility bears relevance for today, as technology remains the hoped-for answer to our increasingly troubled human

New Inventions and the Latest Innovations

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    A Paperback by Gaston de Pawlowski

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      Publisher: Wakefield Press
      Publication Date: Publication Date: 9/26/2024
      ISBN13: 9781939663986, 978-1939663986
      ISBN10: 1939663989
      Also in:
      Biography Essays

      Description

      Book Synopsis

      Satirical yet prophetical advertisements for imaginary new products, influential to Marcel Duchamp and Francis Picabia

      Originally published in book form in 1916, this volume of French author Gaston de Pawlowski's (18741933) writings, New Inventions and the Latest Innovations, collects the humorist's fictional columns mocking his era's burgeoning consumerism and growing faith in science. From anti-slip soap, gut rests and the pocket-sized yardstick to repurposed spittoons, nasal vacuums, electric oysters and musicographical revolvers, Pawlowski offers a far-sighted critique of technological gadgetry and a cynical promise to remove discomfort from every facet of life, even as World War I raged on and technology was unleashing new horrors onto humanity.
      Pawlowski's humorous cultural critique and tongue-in-cheek celebration of uselessness and futility bears relevance for today, as technology remains the hoped-for answer to our increasingly troubled human

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