Dystopian Reading List discussion

The Machine Stops (1909) by E. M. Forster



Date: 5.15.14
Location: Arlington, Va

The next Dystopian Bookclub gathering will be Thursday the May 15th at 12pm. We will be reading the E.M. Forster short story, “The Machine Stops.” This story is a response to other works of the period by H.G. Wells. In 1947, Forster wrote, “The Machine Stops is a reaction to one of the earlier heavens of H.G. Wells.” In the main, Forster displays openly his concerned about human dependence on technology.

Two Amazon Summaries:

“First published in 1909, Forster’s short science fiction work, ‘The Machine Stops,’ posits a technology-dependent humanity now living underground, its every need serviced by machines. But what happens if--or when--the machines stop? ‘The Machine Stops’ was named one of the greatest science fiction novellas published before 1965 by the Science Fiction Writers of America.”

“The Machine Stops is a short science fiction story. It describes a world in which almost all humans have lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth. Each individual lives in isolation in a ‘cell,’ with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine. Most humans welcome this development, as they are skeptical and fearful of first-hand experience. People forget that humans created the Machine, and treat it as a mystical entity whose needs supersede their own. Those who do not accept the deity of the Machine are viewed as ‘unmechanical’ and are threatened with ‘Homelessness.’ Eventually, the Machine apocalyptically collapses, and the civilization of the Machine comes to an end.”

The Librivox link below contains links to further information on the book and author, as well as an online text. Also, you can purchase one of three versions for your Kindle or Kindle App for only $0.99.

Link: https://librivox.org/the-machine-stop...