Z_ The Doll, The Automaton

Arcades Project excerpt_1

From the Ombres Chinoises (Chinese Shadows) of the Palais-Royal: “A…demoiselle gave birth on stage, and the children could immediately scamper about like moles . There were four of them, and they danced together a few moments after the birth in a pleasant quadrille . Another young woman started tossing her head vigorously, and in the twinkling of an eye a second demoiselle had stepped fully clothed from out of her head . This latter at once began dancing but, the next minute, was seized in turn with head –shaking; these were labor pains, and a third demoiselle stepped out of her head . She, too, immediately began dancing but soon took to tossing her head like the others, and out of her arose the fourth demoiselle .It continued in this manner until eight generations were there on the stage-all related to one another through spontaneous generation, like lice.” J.F.Benzenberg, Briefe geschrieben auf einer Reise nach Paris (Dortmund, 1805 )
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