Helen O'Loy

by Lester del Rey, Enrico Astolfi (Translator)

RACCONTO (15 pagine) - FANTASCIENZA - Avere una donna di casa che pulisce, stira e cucina senza doversi sposare? David e Phil avevano trovato la soluzione. Ma Helen O'Loy era qualcosa di più.

La recente notizia sul computer che avrebbe superato il test di Turing ci ha portati a farci domande su cosa sia l'intelligenza, e dove si trovi il confine tra l'imitazione e l'essere umano reale. Questo grande classico della fantascienza, pubblicato nel 1938 sulla rivista "Astounding", anticipava già in modo incredibile questi temi. Phil e Dave vorrebbero una governante perfetta e decidono di fornirle un surrogato di emozioni e di autocoscienza. Ma vanno ben oltre il risultato che si attendevano. Ambientato curiosamente in una Sicilia del futuro, il racconto ci propone un'interessantissimo contrasto tra dettagli futuristici o retrofuturistici e una visione della famiglia e della donna ormai decisamente d'altri tempi. Una pietra miliare della fantascienza che ogni appassionato dovrebbe avere nella sua collezione.

 Nato nel 1915 e morto nel 1993, Lester Del Rey è stato uno dei protagonisti dell'età d'oro della fantascienza, pubblicando un gran numero di racconti sull'"Astounding" di John Campbell negli anni trenta. Dopo un periodo in cui svolse altri lavori diventa scrittore professionista alla fine della guerra e pubblica una trentina di romanzi. In seguito svolge anche la professione di agente, di editor per riviste finché non approda alla Ballantine Books, dove qualche anno pià tardi, nel 1977, curerà insieme alla moglie la collana Del Rey Books, che sarà una delle etichette più importanti nell'epoca in cui la fantascienza andava spostandosi dalle riviste ai volumi da libreria. Nel 1990 è stato nominato Gran Master della fantascienza dall'Associazione degli scrittori di fantascienza americani.

Genres: Short Stories, Science Fiction, Classics, Fiction, Robots, Audiobook

36 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 1, 2014

About the author

Lester del Rey was an American science fiction author and editor. Del Rey is especially famous for his juvenile novels such as those which are part of the Winston Science Fiction series, and for Del Rey Books, the fantasy and science fiction branch of Ballantine Books edited by Lester del Rey and his fourth wife Judy-Lynn del Rey.

Also published as:
Philip St. John
Eric van Lihn
Erik van Lhin
Kenneth Wright
Edson McCann (with Frederik Pohl)

Reviews

[George Kaslov · Rating 4 out of 5]

I learned of this story from an introduction for Asimovs Caves of Steel. In this introduction he spoke of his start in SF and especially his involvement with the topic of robots, and as his influences he named RUR and Helen O'Loy. He acknowledged RUR's importance for first coining the term robot but he still disliked the work for what he refers to as the Frankenstein complex, and by this he didn't refer to the cliche that the story became over the years but to the bad reasoning of creator's fear and/or hate of his creation and vice versa. By this he meant that there should be nothing that is supposed to be left unknown and therefore misunderstood and rejecting any possibility of future use and coexistence. And then came Helen O'Loy, the complete polar opposite to this Frankenstein complex. In this short story from 1938 two fellow scientists create a female robot (ganoid) which falls in love with one of them. This story is too short to properly go into the implications of such a relationship, but still it's early SF charm, its historical importance and the fact that even today we suffer from this Frankenstein complex it was still enjoyable.

And to think Asimovs short story Robie (first story from the I Robot anthology) was rejected for being too similar to this one (it really was nowhere near).

Yes, I am aware that this review basically goes: "Asimov told me to read it".

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

-From The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One-

Silly, sexist, and dated, yet a bit charming and almost humorous. Helen is a female robot programmed to feel emotions and when left home alone stumbles upon soap operas which leave her melodramatic and pining for her creator. I feel like despite its almost juvenile tone the themes here paved the way for many important science fiction works of the future.

[eesha]

read for science fiction class. the discussion juiced all my thoughts about it but i enjoyed it!

[Shaun Meyers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helen O’Loy is a sci-fi/romance short story written by Lester del Rey. It was first published in a 1938 issue of Astounding Science Fiction.

Helen O’Loy tells the story of two young men named Dave and Phil. Dave is a mechanic while Phil is a medical student. They each work together to modify a robot who was originally meant to cook and clean. Their work has unintended consequences and the new robot ultimately develops emotions and becomes self aware.

Helen (The robot) winds up falling in love with the mechanic, Dave, but he initially avoids her advances. He winds up moving to a farm he inherited from his father to get away from her. Eventually Dave accepts Helen’s feelings and they both marry each other, living out their lives on his farm. Phil helps the two of them over the years by modifying Helen’s appearance to artificially age her. In the end, Dave dies and Phil receives a letter from Helen with instructions to melt down her internal structure and bury them with Dave.

Even though I felt some of this book was kinda sexist, the story itself is way ahead of it’s time, and I couldn’t help but notice quite a few similarities between this story and Isaac Asimov’s future book, The Positronic Man. They’re both incredibly similar.

Ultimately, I’m kinda mixed on this story, in truth. One half of me thought it was an interesting story that was way ahead of it’s time while the other half is disgusted at the portrayal of the female robots. So, in the end I think I’ll give this one a 3.2 out of 5 stars. Fairly good but really outdated.

[Debo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another read for my anthropomorphic machines in the arts at the turn of the century seminar. Compared to the other reads for it, this I decidedly did not enjoy. The main difference being that while I enjoyed reading a robot's account of our world and societal workings, this is told from the perspective of a man and enforces all those human views, especially regarding gender roles, and I did not take much joy in that.

[A · Rating 2 out of 5]

Update 08.June.2024: After reading Tomorrow's Eve:
Now Helen's story doesn't seem that imaginative and cool as before. It was a shorter and milder version of Tomorrow's Eve. Still a sex robot though!

Update 29.April.2024: After reading R.U.R.:
Helen was made to keep a good home for the makers, but Adam Link from I, Robot was like a son to his maker even with his metal body and no human flesh and skin!!
First orders of female robots in our time? Sex robots.

Asimov told me to read it; in the introduction of "The complete robot".
Astounding Science Fiction December 1938
I'm truly astounded by this imagination! The influence of Mary Shelley is seen all over! (+ The movie Bride of Frankenstein was also made in 1935.)
2024 and we're still not there!

[Scott Doherty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two young men, a mechanic, Dave, and a medical student, Phil, collaborate on modifying a household robot, originally meant only to cook and clean. They are more successful than they intended; despite the robot's household programming, it develops emotions. The robot, named "Helen O'Loy". I can’t stop thinking of weird science when I was reading this book and I wonder if they got any of the ideas for the movie from it. Its also has a robotic Frankenstein feel about it mixed with Bicentennial man. Its another short story from the golden age of science fiction which I am really getting into these days, modern SiFi wouldn’t be constructed the same.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helen of Alloy shortened to Helen O’Loy is an android servant robot packaged in a beautiful female human form.
It’s pretty silly and unsurprisingly sexist which is common given the publication date.
Her conditioning quickly causes the development of real human like emotions and self awareness. Which comes with all the usual moral questions and implications.

[Dan Falkenheim · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe the ur-text for robots fulfilling the domestic male fantasy? it’s, of course, sexist and a product of its time, but has an early argument for the personhood of a robot.

[Himanshu Modi · Rating 3 out of 5]

As far as love stories go, this one is poignant enough. But it's not aged well. No fault of the author - the genre just got so much attention that we have explored far too much of it to appreciate the first baby steps.

That said, the story was quite well done. The ending was very poignant. The uncanny valley reaction of the prime characters was prophetic (I don't think people had grasped that aspect of human-robot interaction yet).

All in all, an enjoyable story.

[Sara · Rating 1 out of 5]

This story did not age well. While the concept of the story and its implications are interesting, Helen's character is a walking stereotype which makes the story hard to stomach and not very interesting in terms of plot and character. She likes soap operas, shopping, and wants nothing but to be a perfect housewife. Without a man she has no purpose and asks to die.

[Karen K - Ohio · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic sci-fi story from 1938. “One part beauty, one part dream, one part science…”. This story has been criticized for its sexism as are many sci-fi stories from the genre’s early days when nearly all writers were men and women writers were few and far between and had to struggle to be accepted. This story seems like a prequel to the 1972 novel The Stepford Wives.

[Jimgosailing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another tale from the 1930s (1938), this one about robots that are made to look human, very human, beautifully human, but then are also given artificial emotions. A theme still being explored by in the 2018 Russian TV series “Better Than Us” involving Arisa, a ‘bot’ that stunningly beautiful who is a “wanna be wife”

SF Hall of Fame Vol l

[Sergii · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like.."black mirror" series..

[poo poo caca · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s short, cruel, sweet all at the same time. Simple enough to set up proper characters, and that ending is blunt, like a car screeching to a halt. One thing I would alter is the building of Helen and Dave’s romance, and the building up of Phil’s love for Helen. It felt almost like a slap in the face because it was so rushed? Not that I minded, I loved the plot, and even though it was a short story I felt like there could have been more character building, relationship building. Lastly, I would have wanted Helen to realize she doesn’t have to be a housewife, as it made me sad that she did that without a choice.

[Huginn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Considering the historical context, it is understandable why this work is considered significant. Its portrayal of humanoid robots disrupted the traditional imagination of robots as monsters, and instead is capable of love and be loved.

Nonetheless, it is an uncomfortable read with its portrayal of Helen and her duties. It reeks of superiority, locking women within a stipulated role and assumption.

[J_BlueFlower · Rating 3 out of 5]

Helen O'Loy by
Lester del Rey
Read April 2023

Fine little story. Some parts did not age very well. One funny little detail is imagining that the invention would still be a secret many years later implying that nobody else had invented anything similar.

[Lars Fischer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mostly two stars but an extra star for the historical significance. Truly important for the development of robots in SF, an inspiration for Asimov, etc. But despite some charm in the storytelling, it really has not aged well.

[Katherine Rackliffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of an odd reference to Helen of Troy because i 100% anticipated this story to be about them fighting over the robot women and then a bunch of people die or something. that did not in fact happen.

[Dr. · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the first to question the ethics of AI relationships.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Girlboss Helen

[Tim Hugo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sure

[Sean Walczak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining quick read; despite how long ago the story was written, it is still fun to read which is not always the case with vintage sci-fi.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great early robot story!

[Jeff Ferry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very early example of a sci fi "making a girl robot " genre.

[Željko Filipin · Rating 3 out of 5]

About two men, one robot women and love. The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume One, 1929-1964 #3.