THE HISTORICAL ROOTS OF THE ROBOT IMAGE AND ITS LITERARY REPRESENTATIONS

Аннотация

This article explores the historical origins and literary representation of the robot image, focusing on three key works: Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818), Karel Čapek’s play R.U.R. (1920), and Ian McEwan’s novel Machines Like Me (2019). These texts reflect the evolving cultural, philosophical, and technological anxieties of their time. The analysis reveals how the image of the robot, initially rooted in myth and the desire to replicate human life, gradually transformed into a symbol of ethical and existential dilemmas. Shelley's creation of artificial life introduces early concerns about the limits of science, while Čapek’s coined term "robot" brings industrial and political implications to the forefront. McEwan’s modern narrative reinterprets the robot as a sentient being capable of emotional depth, forcing readers to confront the blurred boundaries between humans and machines. Through comparative literary analysis, the article demonstrates the continuity and transformation of the robot motif across historical periods and genres. Keywords: Robot image, Literary representation, Artificial intelligence, Science fiction, Cultural history, R.U.R., Automaton, Literary analysis.