Imperfect Simulacra. Mortal Bodies and Immortal Creatures. Heinrich Heine’s “Florentinische Nächte”
Abstract
Between the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, science began to investigate the reproducibility of the human being, both biologically (via experiments on electricity, Galvani and Volta) and mechanically (automata, animated dolls). Literature reflects this idea. German literature from the nineteenth century offers many examples of artificial creatures, generally seen as inferior to humans: this inferiority is linked to the fact that they seem to lack an essential part, consisting in something immaterial, namely the soul. Our hypothesis, however, is that behind these imperfect simulacra lies the idea of a new, different perfection. Our specific focus will be on a text by Heinrich Heine, Florentinische Nächte.
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