Edited by Carol Colatrella, Professor of Literature and Cultural Studies, Literature, Communication and Culture, Georgia Institute of Technology, this volume in the Critical Insights series presents a variety of new essays on a theme familiar worldwide and throughout history. For readers who are studying it for the first time, a four essays survey the critical conversation regarding the theme, explore its cultural and historical contexts, and offer close and comparative readings of key texts in the genre. Readers seeking a deeper understanding of the theme can then move on to other essays that explore it in depth through a variety of critical approaches. From the automata of the ancients to humanity's fascination with time travel, robotics, and space, to cyberpunk and Japanese anime, the volume explores the myriad ways technology has flavored the world's literature and film.