영어로 읽는 고전 _ 조지 O. 스미스의 곤경
조지 O. 스미스의 "곤경"은 20세기 중반에 쓰인 과학소설이다. 이야기는 인간 정체성의 복잡성과 엔지니어와 그의 물리학자 분신 사이의 상호작용을 중심으로 전개되며, 과학 영역 내에서 창의성과 실용성이라는 주제를 탐구한다. 이야기는 이중 인격으로 고생하는 컨설팅 엔지니어 톰 라이오넬의 경험을 통해 펼쳐지며, 두 인격이 문제에 대한 상충되는 접근 방식으로 씨름하면서 유머러스하고 생각을 자극하는 상황들로 이어진다.
줄거리는 자신의 실용적인 작업에 지속적으로 간섭하는 물리학자 분신의 존재로 인해 삶이 복잡해진 것을 깨닫고 일어나는 톰 라이오넬을 중심으로 한다. 톰이 일상생활을 헤쳐나가면서, 그는 톰이 불필요하다고 여기는 질량 분광기 구입과 같은 물리학자 자신의 비실용적인 이론과 값비싼 변덕에 점점 더 좌절감을 느낀다. 물리학자가 실험실 장비를 사용하여 폴터가이스트 현상 연구와 반중력 활용 시도를 포함한 환상적인 실험을 파고들면서 긴장이 고조된다. 두 인격은 지속적인 지적 "전투"를 벌이며, 궁극적으로 예상치 못한 과학적 도전에 함께 맞서면서 그들의 공존이 이전에 생각했던 것보다 더 유익할 수 있다는 깨달음에 이른다.
Classics Read in English _ Trouble by George O. Smith
George O. Smith's "Trouble" is a science fiction novel from the mid-20th century that examines the intricacies of human identity through the interactions between an engineer and his physicist alter ego, exploring themes of creativity versus practicality within scientific endeavors. The narrative develops through the experiences of Tom Lionel, a consulting engineer afflicted with a split personality disorder, resulting in both humorous and intellectually stimulating scenarios as the two personas clash over their fundamentally different problem-solving methodologies.
The plot follows Tom Lionel as he awakens to discover his life increasingly complicated by the persistent interference of his physicist counterpart in his pragmatic professional work. As Tom attempts to manage his daily responsibilities, he grows progressively more exasperated with his physicist self's impractical theoretical pursuits and costly impulses, exemplified by the acquisition of a mass spectrograph that Tom considers an unnecessary expenditure.
The conflict intensifies when the physicist personality commandeers laboratory equipment for elaborate experiments, including investigations into poltergeist phenomena and ambitious attempts to develop antigravity technology. The two distinct personalities engage in an ongoing intellectual warfare, ultimately arriving at the revelation that their coexistence might prove more advantageous than either had previously recognized as they jointly confront unforeseen scientific challenges that require both practical engineering skills and theoretical physics knowledge.
Among the contents
Tom Lionel, Consulting Engineer, awoke with a shake of his head. At once, he was out of bed. He consulted first the calendar and then the clock. The thought struck him funny. He hadn't been drinking, but the idea of looking at a calendar upon awakening might be construed as an admission that he didn't know what time of what day it was.
Or mayhap what month.
"Ding it," he grunted. "I've been away again."
He dressed by stages. At the trousers department, Tom wandered out into the living room and stood over a chessboard, studying the set-up. The opponent had moved the queen to the rook's fourth, menacing his bishop. Tom smiled and moved his knight to his knight's sixth and checked the opponent's king on the rook's first, and the queen simultaneously.
