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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I'm a sucker for classic science fiction, and they don't come much more classic than this...
Voltaire wrote Micromegas in the 1700s and although its a little quirky, it is beautifully written. Consider this, "He utilized [the laws of physics] so well that, whether with the help of a ray of sunlight or some comet, he jumped from globe to globe like a bird vaulting itself from branch to branch. He quickly spanned the Milky Way..."
Does science fiction get any better than that? You can download this book from http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30123
Voltaire wrote Micromegas in the 1700s and although its a little quirky, it is beautifully written. Consider this, "He utilized [the laws of physics] so well that, whether with the help of a ray of sunlight or some comet, he jumped from globe to globe like a bird vaulting itself from branch to branch. He quickly spanned the Milky Way..."
Does science fiction get any better than that? You can download this book from http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30123
According to the preface that came with my copy, this short tale is a satirical piece aimed at some colleague of Voltaire's. I caught none of the references - I couldn't even tell where they might be hidden - but that didn't seem to harm the story. I read it as an early (the earliest?) example of sci-fi, and as a bonus I got a really thought-provoking discussion of the nature of knowledge and our place in the universe. I'm also amazed that (a) something that old could still feel relatable and fresh, and (b) that in a few places it was literally laughing-out-loud-on-the-train funny. I need to find more work like this.
A science fiction novella from Voltaire… written in 1752! This simple philosophical satire tells the story of Micromegas, an enormous alien from Sirius who meets up with another alien from Saturn and comes to earth and has conversations with the tiny but narcissistic humans. Not a lot of plot here, but a fun easy-to-read story from ahead-of-his-time Voltaire.
“He took to voyaging from planet to planet in order to develop his heart and mind… our voyager was very familiar with the laws of gravity and with all the other attractive and repulsive forces. He utilized them so well that, whether with the help of a ray of sunlight or some comet, he jumped from globe to globe like a bird vaulting itself from branch to branch. He quickly spanned the Milky Way [and] after having toured around, arrived at the planet Saturn.”
“I have traveled a bit; and I have seen mortals that surpass us, some far superior. But I have not seen any that desire only what they truly need, and who need only what they indulge in. Maybe someday I will happen upon a country that lacks nothing; but so far no one has given me any word of a place like that."
“"How long do you live?" said the Sirian. "Oh! For a very short time," replied the small man from Saturn. "Same with us," said the Sirian. "we always complain about it. It must be a universal law of nature." "Alas! We only live through 500 revolutions around the sun," said the Saturnian. (This translates to about 15,000 years, by our standards.) "You can see yourself that this is to die almost at the moment one is born; our existence is a point, our lifespan an instant, our planet an atom.”
“Earth; this was a pitiful sight to those who had just left Jupiter.”
“How could these impossibly small beings have vocal organs, and what would they have to say? To speak, one must think, more or less; but if they think, they must therefore have the equivalent of a soul. But to attribute the equivalent of a soul to this species seemed absurd to him.”
“After lamenting how small they were, asked them if they had always been in this miserable state so near nothingness, what they were doing on a globe that appeared to belong to whales, whether they were happy, if they reproduced, if they had a soul, and a hundred other questions of this nature.”
“There was, unfortunately, a little animalcule in a square hat who interrupted all the other animalcule philosophers. He said that he knew the secret: that everything would be found in the Summa of Saint Thomas. He looked the two celestial inhabitants up and down. He argued that their people, their worlds, their suns, their stars, had all been made uniquely for mankind. At this speech, our two voyagers nearly fell over with that inextinguishable laughter which, according to Homer, is shared with the gods.”
“He took to voyaging from planet to planet in order to develop his heart and mind… our voyager was very familiar with the laws of gravity and with all the other attractive and repulsive forces. He utilized them so well that, whether with the help of a ray of sunlight or some comet, he jumped from globe to globe like a bird vaulting itself from branch to branch. He quickly spanned the Milky Way [and] after having toured around, arrived at the planet Saturn.”
“I have traveled a bit; and I have seen mortals that surpass us, some far superior. But I have not seen any that desire only what they truly need, and who need only what they indulge in. Maybe someday I will happen upon a country that lacks nothing; but so far no one has given me any word of a place like that."
“"How long do you live?" said the Sirian. "Oh! For a very short time," replied the small man from Saturn. "Same with us," said the Sirian. "we always complain about it. It must be a universal law of nature." "Alas! We only live through 500 revolutions around the sun," said the Saturnian. (This translates to about 15,000 years, by our standards.) "You can see yourself that this is to die almost at the moment one is born; our existence is a point, our lifespan an instant, our planet an atom.”
“Earth; this was a pitiful sight to those who had just left Jupiter.”
“How could these impossibly small beings have vocal organs, and what would they have to say? To speak, one must think, more or less; but if they think, they must therefore have the equivalent of a soul. But to attribute the equivalent of a soul to this species seemed absurd to him.”
“After lamenting how small they were, asked them if they had always been in this miserable state so near nothingness, what they were doing on a globe that appeared to belong to whales, whether they were happy, if they reproduced, if they had a soul, and a hundred other questions of this nature.”
“There was, unfortunately, a little animalcule in a square hat who interrupted all the other animalcule philosophers. He said that he knew the secret: that everything would be found in the Summa of Saint Thomas. He looked the two celestial inhabitants up and down. He argued that their people, their worlds, their suns, their stars, had all been made uniquely for mankind. At this speech, our two voyagers nearly fell over with that inextinguishable laughter which, according to Homer, is shared with the gods.”
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
je l'ai saignée la référence là dans ma dissertation sur Gargantua
“our existence is a point, our lifespan an instant, our planet an atom. Hardly do we begin to learn a little when death arrives, before we get any experience. As for me, I do not dare make any plans.”
A good short story that shows us how infinitely small we are and how ephemeral life is. That amongst planets, commets and stars we are minuscule particles flying around in a not so big rock in a not so big galaxy. Micromegas was funny, witty and a quick read for those who are interested on the point of life.
Loved the message about knowledge and the meaning of life!
A good short story that shows us how infinitely small we are and how ephemeral life is. That amongst planets, commets and stars we are minuscule particles flying around in a not so big rock in a not so big galaxy. Micromegas was funny, witty and a quick read for those who are interested on the point of life.
Loved the message about knowledge and the meaning of life!