영어로 읽는 고전 _ 알버트 드피나의 수정구체의 하수인들
알버트 드피나의 "수정 구체의 하수인들"은 20세기 중반에 쓰여진 과학 소설이다. 이 이야기는 해왕성의 플라스티카 시에서 엄격한 법률을 시행하는 무자비한 지배층인 "보호자들"이 지배하는 디스토피아 세계를 배경으로 하며, 억압받는 "화해불가능자들"은 위험한 변두리에 살면서 그들의 통제에 저항한다. 주인공인 바이릴 게를란은 도덕, 권력, 반란의 문제들과 씨름하면서 이 억압적 사회의 잔혹한 정치에 얽히게 되는 젊은 과학자이다.
소설의 도입부는 제목의 도시가 거대한 투명 구체에 둘러싸인 미래 사회의 풍부하게 짜여진 태피스트리를 보여주며, 이는 아름다움과 권위주의적 통제를 동시에 상징한다. 게를란이 음모와 위험으로 가득한 호화로운 가면무도회를 헤쳐나가면서, 그는 보호자들의 타락과 잔혹함을 목격하며, 이는 노예화된 대중들의 곤경과 극명한 대조를 이룬다. 그의 반대 의견으로 촉발된 검투 중에, 게를란의 억압적 체제에 도전하려는 신념이 커지며, 그가 이 사회의 산물일 뿐만 아니라 자신을 둘러싼 불의를 점점 더 인식하게 되면서 반란의 잠재적 촉매제가 될 수 있음을 시사한다.
Classics Read in English _ Minions of the Crystal Sphere by Albert dePina
Albert dePina's "Minions of the Crystal Sphere" is a science fiction novel written in the mid-20th century. Set in a dystopian world, the story takes place in the City of Plastica on Neptune, where the ruthless ruling class known as the "Protectors" enforces strict laws, while the oppressed "Irreconcilables" live in dangerous outskirts, resisting their control. The protagonist, Vyrl Guerlan, is a young scientist who becomes entangled in the brutal politics of this oppressive society as he wrestles with questions of morality, power, and rebellion.
The novel's opening presents a richly woven tapestry of a futuristic society where the titular city is enclosed within a massive transparent sphere, symbolizing both beauty and authoritarian control. As Guerlan navigates through a lavish masquerade filled with intrigue and danger, he witnesses the decadence and cruelty of the Protectors, which stands in stark contrast to the plight of the enslaved masses. During a sword duel triggered by his dissenting views, Guerlan's conviction to challenge this oppressive regime grows stronger, suggesting that he is not merely a product of this society but also a potential catalyst for rebellion as he becomes increasingly aware of the injustices surrounding him.
Among the contents
The vast globe of transparent plastic, infinitely stronger than the most powerful columbium steel, hung suspended in space, ablaze in brilliant pyrotechnics of light. And as cold and impersonal as the laws of the empire it ruled.
Within it was the City of the Inner Circle. Patterned after the City of Plastica itself, it rose within the globe in graduated tiers, but unlike Plastica, there were no graduations of caste?they were all Protectors, these scientists of the Inner Circle, and above them ruled the legendary figure of His Benevolence, the "Protector in Chief."
Six thousand feet below, the turbulent ocean tossed restlessly as if resentful of the awful pressure of the stupendous anti-gravity beams that kept the glittering sphere in space?sacred, inviolate, invulnerable. Above the ocean's shoreline, set amidst low hills, rose Plastica, entirely enclosed in a shell of the same transparent plastic, and rising tier on tier?each one a small world unto itself, and each barred from communication with other tiers. Here the millions toiled and loved and died ... and entered the portals of Blessed Sleep.
