The Standardized Man by Stephen Bartholomew
"The Standardized Man" by Stephen Bartholomew is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century. The book explores the themes of societal conformity and the implications of extreme standardization in a future world, where the individual is reduced to a mere cog in the machinery of a highly regulated economy. It delves into the tension between personal identity and societal expectations, reflecting the anxieties of modernity. The story centers around Charles,a chemist tasked with developing an innovative all-weather suit to stabilize the economy of the textile industry, which is facing a crisis due to falling profits. As he grapples with the pressures of his job, his personal life spirals out of control following a disastrous incident involving the new fabric’s unexpected properties, which leads to chaos and confusion surrounding personal identity in a world where everyone wears name tags that define them. This culminates in a twist where Charles, in a moment of desperation, adopts another man's identity, illustrating the extremes to which people may go to navigate societal expectations and crises of self. The novella offers a cautionary tale about the perils of losing individuality in the pursuit of uniformity and economic stability. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Bartholomew, Stephen |
|---|---|
| Title | The Standardized Man |
| Series Title | Produced from IF Worlds of Science Fiction February 1958. |
| Note | Reading ease score: 71.8 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Credits | Produced by Greg Weeks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 32658 |
| Release Date | Jun 2, 2010 |
| Most Recently Updated | Jan 6, 2021 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 96 downloads in the last 30 days. |
| Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free! | |
