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Deus ex machina is usually a literary hack but Asimov gets away with it by taking it seriously.
by hirundo 4y ago
Deus ex machina is usually a literary hack but Asimov gets away with it by taking it seriously.
- kQq9oHeAz6wLLS 4y agoIt's a literary hack now, but it wasn't when he wrote this
- mcphage 4y agoDeus ex Machina has been a literary hack since the ancient Greeks coined the phrase :-)
- gpvos 4y agoJust to be clear: it's Latin.
- mellavora 4y agoso you are saying the reviewers were Roman :)
- Thom2503 4y agoYes, but the Greeks coined the actual phrase. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina#Origin_of_the_expression https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina#Origin_of_the_... "Deus ex machina is a Latin calque from Greek ἀπὸ μηχανῆς θεός (apò mēkhanês theós) 'god from the machine'. The term was coined from the conventions of ancient Greek theater, where actors who were playing gods were brought onto stage using a machine."
- gpvos 4y agoAh, thanks. Also, I don't think I ever noticed before that machine and mechanical are related words, both from Doric μαχανά / Greek μηχανή.
- Teever 4y agoAre you sure about that? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina#Ancient_criticism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deus_ex_machina#Ancient_critic...
- xtracto 4y agoFunny that in the same magazine where Asimov wrote this, there's a story by Robert Randall titled Deux ex Machina.
- Sakos 4y agoWhich is printed on the pages directly after The Last Question too.