Isaac Asimov, I, Robot

Christopher Leslie (New York University)
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The collection of short stories

I, Robot

came at a moment of transition both for its author and the literary field he helped develop, social science fiction. The stories in this collection are notable for coining the term “robotics”, establishing the fiction of the positronic brain, developing the character Susan Calvin, and exploring the “Three Laws of Robotics”.

When Asimov began writing, there was a sea change in the way stories about human interaction with autonomous machines were being told. Although Asimov’s contributions are among the best known and most impactful, he was not working alone. Lester Del Rey’s December 1938 story in Astounding Stories, “Helen O’Loy”, is about man who lives a secret life with a robot. The Binder brothers, Earl and Otto, using the

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Citation: Leslie, Christopher . "I, Robot". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 April 2012 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4562, accessed 19 March 2024.]

4562 I, Robot 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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