영어로 읽는 고전 _ 조지 O. 스미스의 말썽꾼들
조지 O. 스미스의 "말썽꾼들"은 1960년대 초에 쓰인 과학소설이다. 이야기는 규제된 사회적 틀 안에서 자신들의 정체성과 씨름하는 등장인물들의 탐구를 통해 유전학, 사회적 순응, 그리고 개인의 자유라는 주제들을 엮어낸다. 서사의 중심에는 딸 글로리아의 반항적 성격과 씨름하는 폴과 한포드 부인, 그리고 기존 체제에 도전하고자 하는 젊은 장교 주니어 우주인 하워드 리드가 있다.
소설의 시작 부분은 긴장된 가족 역학을 소개하는데, 유전학 전문가인 학자 노먼 로스가 딸 글로리아의 문제적 행동에 관해 한포드 가족과 상담하며, 그는 이를 그녀의 유전적 혈통 탓으로 돌린다. 대화를 통해 글로리아의 고집 센 성격과 그들 사회의 기대에 순응하지 않는 그녀의 반항적 태도에 대한 부모의 우려가 드러난다. 동시에 인류의 우주 진출을 확장하고자 하지만 관료주의적 장벽과 개인적 도전에 직면한 하워드 리드를 만나게 된다. 이러한 이중 플롯은 규제된 세계에서 자유, 자율성, 그리고 유전공학의 함의에 대한 더 깊은 탐구의 무대를 설정한다.
Classics Read in English _ The Troublemakers by George O. Smith
George O. Smith's "The Troublemakers" is a science fiction novel from the early 1960s that weaves together themes of genetics, social conformity, and individual liberty through an examination of characters wrestling with their identities within a highly regulated societal structure. The narrative centers on Paul and Mrs. Hanford, who struggle with their daughter Gloria's defiant nature, alongside Junior Spaceman Howard Reed, a young officer determined to challenge established systems.
The novel opens with a strained family situation where Scholar Norman Ross, a genetics specialist, advises the Hanford family about their daughter Gloria's problematic behavior, which he attributes to her hereditary background. The conversation exposes Gloria's strong-willed character and her parents' anxiety about her nonconformist attitudes that clash with societal expectations.
Simultaneously, we encounter Howard Reed, who aspires to expand humanity's presence in space but confronts institutional obstacles and personal struggles in his mission. This parallel narrative structure establishes the foundation for a more profound examination of liberty, individual agency, and the consequences of genetic manipulation within a controlled society. The dual storylines converge to explore how personal rebellion and scientific advancement intersect in a world where conformity is enforced and deviation is discouraged.
Among the contents
The living room reflected wealth, position, good taste. In size it was a full ten feet by fourteen, with nearly an eight-foot ceiling. Light was furnished by glow panels precisely balanced in color to produce light's most flattering tint for the woman who sat in a delicate chair of authentic, golden-veined blackwood.
The chair itself must have cost a fortune to ship from Tau Ceti Five. It was an ostentation in the eyes of the visitor, who viewed it as evidence of a self-indulgent attitude that would certainly make his job more difficult.
The air in the room was fresh and very faintly aromatic, pleasing. It came draftlessly refreshed at a temperature of seventy-six degrees and a relative humidity of fifty per cent and permitted the entry of no more than one foreign particle (dust) per cubic foot.
