MAN’S WORLD (8)
By:
August 31, 2024
HiLoBooks is pleased to serialize Charlotte Haldane’s 1926 proto-sf novel Man’s World for HILOBROW’s readers. Written by an author married to one of the world’s most prominent eugenics advocates, this ambivalent adventure anticipates both Brave New World and The Handmaid’s Tale. When a young woman rebels against her conditioning, can she break free? Reissued in 2024 (with a new introduction by Philippa Levine) by the MIT Press’s RADIUM AGE series.
ALL INSTALLMENTS: INTRO | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25.
FROM THE GENERAL TO THE PARTICULAR (cont.)
II
‘And now,’ said St. John, turning to his colleagues and resuming the tone of ordinary conversation,’ will you excuse me also? Adrian is chafing with impatience, as you see, to get me to himself. It is time for my nightly curtain lecture, and he will burst if he cannot relieve himself of it soon.’
‘In that case, decidedly not,’ grunted Winburg, whom Adrian frequently irritated. ‘I consider he has a deplorable influence on you. His gloating approval of all you do and say nauseates me. Why not send him to Isola or Centrosome, and get that young anchorite of yours to take you in hand for a while?’ Winburg’s placid humour was so well attested that his remarks gave no offence.
‘My dear Carl,’ said Adrian dryly, ‘you need a mentor yourself. Your latest affair is the talk of the administration. Personally, I cannot understand how buxom contraltos ever became enlisted among the Entertainers.’
‘Ah, my boy, you will; one day you will. What a voice! A bird she is…’ and he sighed with lyrical emotion.
‘With all the pectoral development but none of the instincts of the pelican,’ added Lutyens. ‘By the way, St. John, what news of that boy of yours? They tell me he has a marvellous ear. At certain types of sound matching he is absolutely unrivalled already, they say. There is also a young female with musical gifts who would like to mate with him.’
‘You shall bring her along for inspection, Walter. But I cannot encourage you. The boy is all sublimation just now. Besides,’ he added, ‘I really have not the vaguest idea where he is.’
‘Ah well,’ said Lutyens, ‘these young people can perhaps afford to waste a little time. As for myself,’ — he glanced encouragingly at Winburg — ‘if that Samson can reach his feet, I will deliver him to his Delilah. I am all for a little light warbling to-night.’
After they had gone, St. John paced slowly up and down, while Adrian busied himself with some drinks and glasses which he had drawn from a wall-cupboard. ‘Do come and sit down,’ he implored, ‘you must have walked miles to-day.’
‘I do feel a little weary,’ admitted his father. ‘I will go to Antonia soon. But as I know you wish to know, I will tell you that Christopher is not to be interfered with.’
‘I cannot quite approach the matter from your point of view,’ he continued, as he slid into the first, which happened also to be the smallest and hardest, chair available.
Adrian sipped his drink and said nothing.
‘You dislike the boy’s attitude, and are allowing yourself to become prejudiced. Now I happen to like him.’
‘But so do I, enormously,’ protested Adrian, for the first time with some heat. ‘So much so that I cannot become reconciled to his absurdities. It is just because I know he is, or could be, so brilliant, that I think we ought to do something about him.’
‘It is too soon, my lad. Give him time.’
‘But he has had time. I know quite well that puberty is always a nuisance. I did not want to be impatient. But he is increasingly disappointing.’
‘That is entirely your own fault. It is rather abominable, the way you are apt to await a reward for your labours. You looked on him as your own private little prodigy, without the least justification. I admire him for his independence.’
‘I admit part of that; I did want to make him of some use. There was every reason to suppose I would. But this religious nonsense is preposterous.’
‘Not in the least. Perfectly normal, at his age. He’ll outgrow it.’
‘I doubt it, or I would not insist in the matter. You know how we have to watch these reactions. All religious mania is dangerous. It’s one of the most serious forms of undisciplined auto-suggestion, and I am sorry to see it in one of us.’
‘Oh, pooh-pooh. What do you expect, at that age? Christopher knows enough to stop taking himself too seriously in time.’
‘Well, I do not see why that time should not be soon.’
‘Now, Adrian, you must look after yourself. You are becoming a meddler. I should have thought I provided you with all the material you needed for the exercise of that vice of yours. You can be my confessor, my adviser, my wet-nurse, if you like. But for your own sake, I shall be compelled to send you away if you suggest again the slightest interference with Christopher’s metabolism.’
‘Righto! I bow. I don’t mind if all your other sons get Messianic mania, so long as I can stay where I am.’
‘Neither do I. When does Nicolette return?’
‘Shortly, I think.’
‘We will soon have Raymond with us again. He is an excellent fellow, and the mating should be a success.’
‘Yes. They are both lovely children. Nicolette is adorable, and he should satisfy her if Christopher has not planted his seeds of discontent in her mind.’
‘There you start again! Why should she not love the boy? We all do, and she, dear little mother-girl, naturally wants to encourage him. You will find that as soon as sexual instincts are awakened and fulfilled in her, she will humanize the boy also. Let my children be, Adrian, and learn a little from your own. They, at any rate, are unlikely to cause you anxiety. And now come along and talk to Antonia for a little,’ he added with an affectionate smile, ‘and be lectured yourself for a change.’
RADIUM AGE PROTO-SF: “Radium Age” is Josh Glenn’s name for the nascent sf genre’s c. 1900–1935 era, a period which saw the discovery of radioactivity, i.e., the revelation that matter itself is constantly in movement — a fitting metaphor for the first decades of the 20th century, during which old scientific, religious, political, and social certainties were shattered. More info here.
SERIALIZED BY HILOBOOKS: James Parker’s Cocky the Fox | Annalee Newitz’s “The Great Oxygen Race” | Matthew Battles’s “Imago” | & many more original and reissued novels and stories.