Devices of Curiosity: Early Cinema and Popular Science
Devices of Curiosity: Early Cinema and Popular Science
Assistant Professor of English
Cite
Abstract
This book excavates a largely unknown genre of early cinema, the popular-science film. Primarily a work of cinema history, it also draws on the insights of the history of science. Beginning around 1903, a variety of producers made films about scientific topics for general audiences, inspired by a vision of cinema as an educational medium. This book traces the development of popular-science films over the first half of the silent era, from its beginnings in England to its flourishing in France around 1910. These films initially relied upon previous traditions such as the magic-lantern lecture for their representational strategies, and they continually had recourse to established visual iconography, but they also created novel visual paradigms and led to the creation of ambitious new film collections. The book thus also considers how popular-science films exemplify the circulation of knowledge. Finally, the book discerns a transit between nonfictional and fictional modes, seeing affinities between popular-science films and certain aspects of fiction films, particularly Louis Feuillade’s crime melodramas. This kind of circulation is important for an understanding of the wider relevance of early popular-science films to cinema studies, in particular their influence on documentary, educational, and avant-garde cinemas.
-
Front Matter
-
Introduction
-
{Chapter 1}
“Revealing Nature’s Closest Secrets”: F. Martin Duncan’s Popular-Science Films at the Charles Urban Trading Company
-
{Chapter 2}
Juggling Flies and Gravid Plants: F. Percy Smith’s Early Popular-Science Films
-
{Chapter 3}
“A Drama Unites Them in a Fight to the Death”: The Flourishing of Popular-Science Films in France, 1909–1914
-
{Chapter 4}
A Modern Cabinet of Curiosities: George Kleine’s Collection of Popular-Science Films
-
{Chapter 5}
Popular Science and Crime Melodrama: Louis Feuillade and the Serial
-
Conclusion
-
End Matter
Sign in
Personal account
- Sign in with email/username & password
- Get email alerts
- Save searches
- Purchase content
- Activate your purchase/trial code
- Add your ORCID iD
Purchase
Our books are available by subscription or purchase to libraries and institutions.
Purchasing informationMonth: | Total Views: |
---|---|
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 2 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 3 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 1 |
October 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 4 |
November 2022 | 6 |
November 2022 | 4 |
November 2022 | 2 |
November 2022 | 5 |
November 2022 | 3 |
November 2022 | 6 |
November 2022 | 5 |
November 2022 | 3 |
December 2022 | 2 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 3 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 2 |
January 2023 | 6 |
January 2023 | 1 |
January 2023 | 6 |
January 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 1 |
February 2023 | 2 |
February 2023 | 1 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 3 |
March 2023 | 3 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 4 |
March 2023 | 2 |
March 2023 | 2 |
April 2023 | 7 |
April 2023 | 5 |
April 2023 | 5 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 1 |
May 2023 | 2 |
May 2023 | 3 |
June 2023 | 3 |
June 2023 | 2 |
June 2023 | 3 |
July 2023 | 1 |
July 2023 | 1 |
August 2023 | 3 |
August 2023 | 3 |
August 2023 | 3 |
August 2023 | 3 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 5 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 2 |
August 2023 | 7 |
September 2023 | 3 |
September 2023 | 2 |
September 2023 | 4 |
September 2023 | 1 |
October 2023 | 3 |
October 2023 | 2 |
October 2023 | 7 |
October 2023 | 5 |
October 2023 | 3 |
November 2023 | 2 |
November 2023 | 3 |
November 2023 | 23 |
November 2023 | 1 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 1 |
December 2023 | 1 |
December 2023 | 2 |
December 2023 | 1 |
December 2023 | 1 |
January 2024 | 2 |
January 2024 | 3 |
January 2024 | 2 |
January 2024 | 2 |
January 2024 | 3 |
January 2024 | 2 |
January 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 1 |
February 2024 | 9 |
March 2024 | 2 |
March 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 3 |
April 2024 | 3 |
April 2024 | 3 |
April 2024 | 5 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 1 |
April 2024 | 2 |
April 2024 | 3 |
April 2024 | 12 |
April 2024 | 4 |
April 2024 | 5 |
May 2024 | 7 |
May 2024 | 2 |
May 2024 | 3 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 3 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 3 |
June 2024 | 2 |
June 2024 | 1 |
June 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 4 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 1 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 4 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 2 |
July 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
August 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 15 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 2 |
October 2024 | 1 |
October 2024 | 6 |
October 2024 | 3 |
October 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 7 |
November 2024 | 4 |
November 2024 | 3 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 1 |
November 2024 | 2 |
November 2024 | 5 |
December 2024 | 3 |
December 2024 | 1 |
December 2024 | 1 |
February 2025 | 2 |
February 2025 | 2 |
February 2025 | 2 |
February 2025 | 2 |
February 2025 | 2 |
February 2025 | 2 |
February 2025 | 5 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 4 |
March 2025 | 4 |
March 2025 | 4 |
March 2025 | 1 |
March 2025 | 4 |
March 2025 | 4 |
March 2025 | 2 |
March 2025 | 7 |
Get help with access
Institutional access
Access to content on Oxford Academic is often provided through institutional subscriptions and purchases. If you are a member of an institution with an active account, you may be able to access content in one of the following ways:
IP based access
Typically, access is provided across an institutional network to a range of IP addresses. This authentication occurs automatically, and it is not possible to sign out of an IP authenticated account.
Sign in through your institution
Choose this option to get remote access when outside your institution. Shibboleth/Open Athens technology is used to provide single sign-on between your institution’s website and Oxford Academic.
If your institution is not listed or you cannot sign in to your institution’s website, please contact your librarian or administrator.
Sign in with a library card
Enter your library card number to sign in. If you cannot sign in, please contact your librarian.
Society Members
Society member access to a journal is achieved in one of the following ways:
Sign in through society site
Many societies offer single sign-on between the society website and Oxford Academic. If you see ‘Sign in through society site’ in the sign in pane within a journal:
If you do not have a society account or have forgotten your username or password, please contact your society.
Sign in using a personal account
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members. See below.
Personal account
A personal account can be used to get email alerts, save searches, purchase content, and activate subscriptions.
Some societies use Oxford Academic personal accounts to provide access to their members.
Viewing your signed in accounts
Click the account icon in the top right to:
Signed in but can't access content
Oxford Academic is home to a wide variety of products. The institutional subscription may not cover the content that you are trying to access. If you believe you should have access to that content, please contact your librarian.
Institutional account management
For librarians and administrators, your personal account also provides access to institutional account management. Here you will find options to view and activate subscriptions, manage institutional settings and access options, access usage statistics, and more.