The Consolidator
Author | Daniel Defoe |
---|---|
Original title | The Consolidator or, Memoirs of Sundry Transactions from the World in the Moon |
Country | England |
Language | English |
Genre | Novel |
Publisher | W. Taylor |
Publication date | 1705 |
The Consolidator; or, Memoirs of Sundry Transactions from the World in the Moon is a fictional adventure by Daniel Defoe published in 1705.[1] It is a satirical novel that mixes fantasy with political and social satire.
Plot summary[]
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The narrator travels to the Moon through the means of the titular "consolidator" – a chariot with two feathered winged creatures.
Analysis[]
The novel is a political satire of the British political and society of Defoe's era. For example, each of the chariot's winged steeds represents a houses of parliament.
The chariot has also been described as one of the earliest spaceships (or airships) in known fiction.[2]: 69 [3] This, in addition to its portrayal of the Moon and the concept of space flight, resulted in the work being classified as one of the proto-SF works.[3][4]
References[]
- ^ Karen Severud Cook. "Daniel Defoe's 1705 Fantasy about Chinese Mapmakers on the Moon" (PDF). Icaci.org. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
- ^ Ash, Brian (1977). The Visual Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Harmony Books. ISBN 978-0-517-53174-7.
- ^ a b "Authors : Defoe, Daniel : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia". www.sf-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
- ^ "Themes : Space Flight : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia". www.sf-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 2021-09-04.
External links[]
- 1705 books
- Novels by Daniel Defoe
- English adventure novels
- English historical novels
- 18th-century British novels
- Novels set in Imperial China
- Novels set on the Moon
- Satirical novels
- 18th-century novel stubs