The Absolute at Large

The Absolute at Large

infobox Book |
name = The Absolute at Large
title_orig = Továrna na absolutno
translator =


image_caption =
author = Karel Čapek
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country =
language = Czech
series =
genre = Science Fiction
publisher =
release_date = 1922
english_release_date =
media_type =
pages =
isbn =
preceded_by =
followed_by =

"The Absolute at Large" ("Továrna na absolutno" in the original Czech), better translated as "The Factory of Absolute", is a science fiction novel written by Czech author Karel Čapek in 1922. It appears to take place in the early 20th century, with the imperial governments still extant in both Russia and China.

Plot

The story centers on the invention of a reactor that can annihilate matter to produce cheap and abundant energy (c.f. special theory of relativity). Unfortunately, it produces something else as a by-product, the "absolute". The "absolute" is a spiritual essence that according to some religious philosophies allegedly permeates all matter (see also monism). It is associated with human religious experience, as the unsuspecting humanity is to find out all too soon in the story. The widespread adoption of the reactors cause an enormous outpouring of pure "absolute" into the world. This leads to an outburst of religious and nationalist fervor, causing the greatest, most global war in history.

Čapek has much fun describing this war in a self-consciously absurd manner. Characteristic of the war are distant military marches, hence for example "battles of the Chinese with the Senegalese riflemen on the shores of the Finnish lakes." Some of the more prominent political changes the war causes include expulsion of the Russian army to Africa (via Europe) by the Chinese invasion, the conquest of East Asia by Japan that cuts the Chinese conquests in Russia and Europe down to the limits of the former Austro-Hungarian empire, and the Japanese conquest of North America. The later happened because the United States were exhausted by a bloody civil war between the supporters and opponents of the Prohibition.

"Absolute" does more than affect minds. It also does physical work. During the war, it causes catastrophes against the enemy (various parts of "absolute" support any given side in the conflict). At some point, it also becomes interested in production of material goods and produces them, in a supernatural manner, in enormous quantities. This leads to economic collapse and, absurdly enough, deficit of all manufactured items because, allegedly, once the price of goods has dropped to zero because of "absolute", nobody cares to produce or distribute them any more. Starvation is averted because "absolute" does not produce food, and the peasants who do not let the price drop to zero. In fact, they force every last penny from urban population in return for food, hence saving humanity. This is a satirical reference to the very real phenomenon of bag peopleFact|date=September 2008 who bring food to the cities from the countryside in times of economic and political collapse.

See also

* The Absolute

External links

* [http://ld.johanesville.net/capek-03-tovarna-na-absolutno?page=0 full text] cs icon


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Absolute probability judgement — is a technique used in the field of human reliability assessment (HRA), for the purposes of evaluating the probability of a human error occurring throughout the completion of a specific task. From such analyses measures can then be taken to… …   Wikipedia

  • Absolute threshold of hearing — The absolute threshold of hearing (ATH) is the minimum sound level of a pure tone that an average ear with normal hearing can hear with no other sound present. The absolute threshold relates to the sound that can just be heard by the… …   Wikipedia

  • The Seal of Confession —     The Law of the Seal of Confession     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Law of the Seal of Confession     In the Decretum of the Gratian who compiled the edicts of previous councils and the principles of Church law which he published about 1151,… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Vatican —     The Vatican     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Vatican     This subject will be treated under the following heads:     I. Introduction; II. Architectural History of the Vatican Palace; III. Description of the Palace; IV. Description of the… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Social Contract —     The Social Contract     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Social Contract     Du Contrat Social, ou Principes du droit politique, is the title of a work written by J.J. Rousseau and published in 1762. From the time of his stay at Venice, about… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Counter-Reformation —     The Counter Reformation     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Counter Reformation     The subject will be considered under the following heads:     I. Significance of the term II. Low ebb of Catholic fortunes III. St. Ignatius and the Jesuits,… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Absolute Infinite — The Absolute Infinite is mathematician Georg Cantor s concept of an infinity that transcended the transfinite numbers. Cantor equated the Absolute Infinite with God. [ sect;3.2, cite journal author=Ignacio Jané title=The role of the absolute… …   Wikipedia

  • The Byzantine Empire —     The Byzantine Empire     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Byzantine Empire     The ancient Roman Empire having been divided into two parts, an Eastern and a Western, the Eastern remained subject to successors of Constantine, whose capital was at …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Irish (in Countries Other Than Ireland) —     The Irish (in countries other than Ireland)     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► The Irish (in countries other than Ireland)     I. IN THE UNITED STATES     Who were the first Irish to land on the American continent and the time of their arrival are …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • The Syro-Aramaic Reading of the Koran —   …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”