# Ana I. Oancea, "Dangerous Creations: The Inventor Novel in Fin-de-siècle France" (U Toronto Press, 2025)

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-literary-studies-1048453/ana-i-oancea-dangerous-creations-the-inventor-novel-in-fin-de-si-cle-france-u-toronto-press-2025
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-literary-studies-1048453/ana-i-oancea-dangerous-creations-the-inventor-novel-in-fin-de-si-cle-france-u-toronto-press-2025.md
Podcast: [New Books in Literary Studies](https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-literary-studies-1048453)
Published: 2026-05-06T08:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK4091137091.mp3?updated=1777951769
Audio file: https://traffic.megaphone.fm/NBNK4091137091.mp3?updated=1777951769
Processing state: not_requested
JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-literary-studies-1048453/episodes/ana-i-oancea-dangerous-creations-the-inventor-novel-in-fin-de-si-cle-france-u-toronto-press-2025
Duration seconds: 3829

## Resource

Dangerous Creations: The Inventor Novel in Fin-de-siècle France (U Toronto Press, 2025) presents a master narrative of the inventor in fin-de-siècle French literature by analyzing the works of Jules Verne, Albert Robida, Émile Zola, and Villiers de l’Isle-Adam. Their writings challenge the role of science in shaping French national identity and aim to transform contemporary understandings of science and technology. The book reveals how Verne, Robida, Zola, and de l’Isle-Adam reimagine the figure of the inventor, reshaping the literary standards of their time. Universally male in these narratives, the inventor serves as a flawed exemplar of national heroism during the Age of Empire – a period marked by significant external threats and internal strife – while also embodying unrestrained creativity. Ultimately, the inventor novel reflects broader French anxieties surrounding scientific progress, empire, and gender. Ana Oancea explores the transmedia and transnational legacy of the fin-de-siècle inventor novel through vignettes that highlight similarly themed narratives in contemporary popular culture. These sections engage with films, television series, graphic narratives, and video games that reinterpret key aspects of the inventor narrative, shedding light on its power structures, racial and gender politics, and colonial aspirations. Guest Ana Oancea is Associate Professor of French at the University of Delaware. Her research interests include the intersections of science and literature, adaptation studies, and visual culture. She has recently published articles in Forum for Modern Language Studies, Science Fiction Film and Television, and French Screen Studies. Host Gina Stamm is Associate Professor of French at The University of Alabama, with research concentrated on…

## Actions

- request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/new-books-in-literary-studies-1048453/episodes/ana-i-oancea-dangerous-creations-the-inventor-novel-in-fin-de-si-cle-france-u-toronto-press-2025/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.
- read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/new-books-in-literary-studies-1048453/ana-i-oancea-dangerous-creations-the-inventor-novel-in-fin-de-si-cle-france-u-toronto-press-2025.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.

A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed.

## Transcript

Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.