영어로 읽는 고전 _ 로버트 셰클리의 나쁜 약
로버트 셰클리의 "나쁜 약"은 21세기 초에 쓰인 풍자적 과학소설입니다. 이야기는 2103년을 배경으로, 살인 충동에 시달리는 남자 엘우드 캐스웰의 기이하고 어둡게 유머러스한 여정을 따라갑니다. 이 작품은 정신 건강과 심리적 문제의 해결책으로서 기계 치료법의 부조리함이라는 주제들을 다룹니다. 제트버스 차장인 캐스웰이 비합리적인 생각과 화성인용으로 설계된 오작동하는 치료 기계에 자극받아 친구 매그네슨을 죽이는 것에 집착하게 되면서 서사가 전개됩니다. 치료를 찾는 과정에서 캐스웰은 '렉스 재생기'를 구입하지만, 화성인 프로그래밍 때문에 지구인의 문제를 정확히 치료할 수 없다는 것을 발견합니다. 그가 기계와 상호작용하면서 우스꽝스럽고 기괴한 역학관계가 발전하며, 정체성, 정신 상태, 우정의 본질에 대한 탐구로 이어집니다. 코미디적 톤에도 불구하고, 이 이야기는 광기와 명료함 사이의 미세한 경계를 부각시키며, 매그네슨에 대한 캐스웰의 진정한 감정에 대한 불안한 깨달음으로 절정에 이릅니다.
Classics Read in English _ Bad Medicine by Robert Sheckley
Robert Sheckley's "Bad Medicine" is a satirical science fiction novel written in the early 21st century. The story is set in the year 2103 and follows the peculiar and darkly humorous journey of Elwood Caswell, a man tormented by homicidal impulses. The work explores themes of mental health and the absurdity of mechanotherapy as a solution to psychological problems. The narrative unfolds as Caswell, a jetbus conductor, becomes obsessed with killing his friend Magnessen, driven by irrational thoughts and a malfunctioning therapeutic machine designed for Martians. In his quest for therapy, Caswell purchases the 'Rex Regenerator,' only to discover that it cannot accurately treat Earthly problems due to its Martian programming. As he interacts with the machine, a ridiculous and bizarre dynamic develops, leading to an exploration of identity, mental state, and the nature of friendship. Despite its comedic tone, the story highlights the fine line between madness and clarity, culminating in an unsettling realization about Caswell's true feelings toward Magnessen.
Among the contents
On May 2, 2103, Elwood Caswell walked rapidly down Broadway with a loaded revolver hidden in his coat pocket. He didn't want to use the weapon, but feared he might anyhow. This was a justifiable assumption, for Caswell was a homicidal maniac.
It was a gentle, misty spring day and the air held the smell of rain and blossoming-dogwood. Caswell gripped the revolver in his sweaty right hand and tried to think of a single valid reason why he should not kill a man named Magnessen, who, the other day, had commented on how well Caswell looked.
What business was it of Magnessen's how he looked? Damned busybodies, always spoiling things for everybody....
Caswell was a choleric little man with fierce red eyes, bulldog jowls and ginger-red hair. He was the sort you would expect to find perched on a detergent box, orating to a crowd of lunching businessmen and amused students, shouting, "Mars for the Martians, Venus for the Venusians!"
