November 2023 The Machine Stops by E. M. Forster

[Book Nerd, Purple Book Horse]

The story describes a world in which most of the human population has lost the ability to live on the surface of the Earth. Each individual now lives in isolation below ground in a standard room, with all bodily and spiritual needs met by the omnipotent, global Machine. Travel is permitted, but is unpopular and rarely necessary. Communication is made via a kind of instant messaging/video conferencing machine with which people conduct their only activity: the sharing of ideas and what passes for knowledge.

[Mike]

I read this a few years ago and was utterly captivated by it. I was familiar with E.M. Forster from studying A Passage to India during my History A-Level but had no idea that he had written science fiction or short stories. I happened across The Machine Stops for a mere £1 in a bookstore and took a punt. I had been dismissive of short stories before reading this, always preferring the thickest books I could find, but this book started a fascination with short stories. Time for a re-read!

[Pam, Southwest Enchanter]

I read this one last October and enjoyed it but I’ve forgotten the story! I’ll see if I have time to reread it this month. It’s short enough.

[Rosemarie, Northern Roaming Scholar]

I've read this twice. I'm hoping to read it again, but if I don't it's still fresh in my mind. It's really good!

[Bernard]

I got it for the affordable sum of £0.81. I started reading with SF short stories: this one is a bit long for me, but I will do my best.

[Book Nerd, Purple Book Horse]

I'll read this tomorrow. Looks like I'm going to enjoy it.

[Lesle, Appalachian Bibliophile]

Bernard wrote: "I got it for the affordable sum of £0.81. I started reading with SF short stories: this one is a bit long for me, but I will do my best."

Great find Bernard!

[Book Nerd, Purple Book Horse]

This was great!
Written when movies were relatively new, it really captures the world of smart phones, home delivery, and learning from youtube videos.
The part where they were trying to complain about the breakdown of the machine really reminds me of trying to get something done by talking to some automated call system or somebody on the other side of the planet.

[Lorraine]

I liked it. I agree with Book Nerd about the part where they try to complain about the machine breaking down but get no response a part being told, by the machine, that their complaint will be transmitted to the right department! Who has not experience that! The fact that they start praying to the machine as a God is also interesting.

[Gabriella]

I’m excited to start this!

[ForestGardenGal]

For those of you who got this for £1 or less, you will find this hilarious: I got this as an interlibrary loan because my local library didn't have a copy. Picked it up today. Note on it from lending branch library says $115 charge if lost or damaged! How's that for a mark-up?! 🤑

[Book Nerd, Purple Book Horse]

I actually just read it online because it was so short but it's worth picking up a physical copy.

[Pam, Southwest Enchanter]

You can read this story for free on the SimplyE app. It has tons of classic SF short stories, including ones from old SF magazines. Their other short reads genres include: horror, mystery, fantasy, and literary fiction. No library card is required for the app. I’ve found some interesting reads!

[Lorraine]

Pam wrote: "You can read this story for free on the SimplyE app. It has tons of classic SF short stories, including ones from old SF magazines. Their other short reads genres include: horror, mystery, fantasy,..."

Thank you Pam. I just downloaded the app. and it works for me here in Montreal.

[Mike]

ForestGardenGal wrote: "For those of you who got this for £1 or less, you will find this hilarious: I got this as an interlibrary loan because my local library didn't have a copy. Picked it up today. Note on it from lendi..."

Now we know how libraries deal with budget cuts! :P

[Mike]

I re-read the story this afternoon with a nice mug of coffee. Reading it now in the post pandemic world, it's hard not to be reminded of lockdowns. I was fortunate to have a wife and children to keep me company but I know some of my colleagues were all alone during that time.

There's a definite warning of over-dependence on machines that rings loud and clear. One interesting detail that caught my attention was the description of the video - that it was "good enough". Is Forster hinting that accepting "good enough" is the beginning of societal attrition?

It's of course easy to mock them for beginning to worship The Machine, but I wonder are we really much different? In my old pre-pandemic job I travelled to and from London fairly regularly. I would often sit in a coffee shop, waiting for my train, watching all the people around me. There would be couples sat opposite each other, heads in their phones, people walking out from the underground heading to the platforms, head down in their phones. The idolatory of the mobile phone is real!

The writing is fantastic, I remembered really enjoying it, but it was fresh reading it again today. It's no wonder I discovered a love of short stories after reading this.

[Lorraine]

Mike wrote: "I re-read the story this afternoon with a nice mug of coffee. Reading it now in the post pandemic world, it's hard not to be reminded of lockdowns. I was fortunate to have a wife and children to ke..."

I agree with you. When you think this was written in 1909, he must have foreseen the way many humans would react to technology. When you see people walking on the street and looking at their phones instead of the road, yes you can say the idolatry of the mobile phone is real!

[ForestGardenGal]

Mike wrote: "There's a definite warning of over-dependence on machines that rings loud and clear. One interesting detail that caught my attention was the description of the video - that it was "good enough". Is Forster hinting that accepting "good enough" is the beginning of societal attrition?..."

I definitely agree, and cringe whenever I see people at restaurant tables choosing their phones over their tablemates. Social media chosen over society. But it's not just our idolatry of mobile devices or even computers... how often do people choose stairs over elevators? Or choose walking over automobiles- even for short trips? I'm calling it machine enabled laziness. It is startling to see the many parallels in our society!

[ForestGardenGal]

I just finished. Throughout the book several thoughts kept recurring:

With no direct experience, where do your ideas come from? Can there be originality without direct experience, or is everything necessarily regurgitated and recycled? Okay, this did end up being commented upon in Part III.

How do they eat? Underground, no sunlight --> no photosynthesis --> limited plant life --> no agriculture nor game animals.... Is this a soylent green type situation?

Regardless, the moral of the story remains. Machine enabled laziness. Sustainability and progress taken to the extreme becomes mindless reliance on artificiality which eventually becomes a hindrance to survival.

Heavy stuff. Never would have guessed it was written in 1909.

[Bernard]

An excellent story. He sets out a compelling vision of the future.

[Book Nerd, Purple Book Horse]

Mike wrote: "One interesting detail that caught my attention was the description of the video - that it was "good enough". Is Forster hinting that accepting "good enough" is the beginning of societal attrition?"
I'd say we accept "good enough" constantly because it's slightly easier. One thing that annoys me is that people are okay with watching tv on tiny cell phone screens when they have real life-sized tvs in their houses. They don't even bother to turn them sideways to make the picture slightly bigger.

Mike wrote: "It's of course easy to mock them for beginning to worship The Machine, but I wonder are we really much different? In my old pre-pandemic job I travelled to and from London fairly regularly. I would often sit in a coffee shop, waiting for my train, watching all the people around me. There would be couples sat opposite each other, heads in their phones, people walking out from the underground heading to the platforms, head down in their phones. The idolatory of the mobile phone is real!"
Yeah, we worship a lot of things, not just religion. I'd call cell phones more of an endorphin addiction but it's pretty much the same thing.

ForestGardenGal wrote: "With no direct experience, where do your ideas come from? Can there be originality without direct experience, or is everything necessarily regurgitated and recycled? Okay, this did end up being commented upon in Part III."
I'd ask if there is such a thing as an original idea. What is an original idea?

ForestGardenGal wrote: "How do they eat? Underground, no sunlight --> no photosynthesis --> limited plant life --> no agriculture nor game animals.... Is this a soylent green type situation?"
Yeah, there are probably automated farms in huge caverns. They probably do recycle the the usable nutrients in the bodies soylent green style too.

[ForestGardenGal]

Book Nerd wrote: "I'd ask if there is such a thing as an original idea. What is an original idea?
..."

Great question! I would like to suggest that an original idea comes from either analysis after experiencing or witnessing an unusual or novel event, or from interpreting a mundane event in an unusual or novel way.

I do, however, see your point as well. Original ideas may stem from novel analysis and interpretation and do not necessarily require direct nor novel experiences.

[Book Nerd, Purple Book Horse]

ForestGardenGal wrote: "Book Nerd wrote: "I'd ask if there is such a thing as an original idea. What is an original idea?
..."

Great question! I would like to suggest that an original idea comes from either analysis afte..."
I'd say even if you have a totally new and unique experience, like meeting alien life, you'd still interpret it through a lens of human experience, if that makes any sense.