Living dolls: sci-fi’s fascination with artificial women

From Pygmalion to Ex Machina, the idea - and the ideal - of building a 'perfect woman' has come down through history. A new book explores why

From mechanical dolls to the eponymous Coppi(C)lia, the Jetsons' Rosie to Ex Machina's beguiling Ava, the lure of technology to create a manifestation of "the perfect woman" has long proved seductive.

But just why are automatons so attractive? And just what is this "perfect woman" anyway? Rounding up a veritable sorority of artificial Eves, Julie Wosk delves into the issues in her latest book My Fair Ladies, casting an analytical eye over female depictions, both physical and fictitious, to explore the history and the future of Woman 2.0.