Kittler Now

Friedrich Kittler was one of the world’s most influential, provocative and misunderstood media theorists. His work spans analyses of historical ‘discourse networks’ inspired by French poststructuralism, influential theorizations of new media, through to musings on music and mathematics. Always controversial and relentlessly unpredictable, Kittler’s work is a major reference point for contemporary media theory, literary criticism and cultural studies. This is the only book of essays currently available in English on an important thinker whose influence across disciplines is growing. The volume situates Kittler’s ideas, explaining and critiquing his sometimes difficult writing, and using his theories to undertake innovative readings of old and new media. It also includes previously untranslated work by Kittler himself. Contributors include Caroline Bassett, Steven Connor, Alexander R. Galloway, Mark B. Hansen, John Durham Peters and Geoffrey Winthrop-Young.

Acknowledgements Contributors Editors' introduction Section I: Grecian 2000 1. Friedrich Kittler -- The God of Ears (Translated by Paul Feigelfeld and Anthony Moore) 2. John Durham Peters -- Assessing Kittler's Musik und Mathematik 3. Stephen Sale -- Thinking By Numbers: the role of mathematics in Kittler and Heidegger 4. Geoffrey Winthrop-Young -- Siren Recursions 5. Friedrich Kittler -- Preparing the Arrival of the Gods Section II: "Our Writing Tools are also Working on our Thoughts" 6. Steven Connor -- Scilicet: Kittler, Media and Madness 7. Katherine Biers -- The Typewriter's Truth 8. Gill Partington -- Films in Books/Books in Film: Fahrenheit 451 and the Media Wars Section III: Theorising New Media 9. Alexander R. Galloway -- If the Cinema Is an Ontology, the Computer Is an Ethic 10. Caroline Bassett -- Staring into the Sun 11. Mark B. N. Hansen -- Symbolising Time: Kittler and 21st Century Media Notes Translated by Paul Feigelfeld and Anthony Moore