02663cam a22003733u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000360011324500160014926400510016530000470021633600260026333700260028933800360031549000460035150000310039750801080042852014520053653400450198865300200203365300180205365300380207165300370210965300350214683000460218185600430222799900190227064007UtSlPG20260610134456.0mcr n260607r2020||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPS1 aSt. Clair, Margaret,d1911-199514aThe Dancers 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2020  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier1 aProduced from Planet Stories January 1952  aRelease date is 2020-12-10  aProduced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net  a"The Dancers" by Wilton Hazzard is a science fiction novella written in the early 1950s. The story explores themes of humanity, knowledge, and the consequences of actions in a new world following the demise of Earth. It follows a group of astronauts who land on a new planet and grapple with the ethical implications of their first contact with a primitive humanoid species, ultimately leading them to ponder deeper existential questions about the nature of knowledge and the human connection to the cosmos.  The plot centers around Rossiter and Bernard, two crew members of the spaceship "Elpis", who reflect on the violent encounter they had with the planet's native inhabitants. Their initial shock and guilt over killing five primitives - a woman, a baby, and three men - lead to discussions about loss, memory, and the potential for unintended consequences of their actions. As they delve into their conscience, Rossiter proposes a thought-provoking idea: that throughout history, humanity's collective rituals and dances may have played a crucial role in the natural order of the universe, including the rising of the sun. This notion brings a sense of irony and heaviness as they realize that in their quest for knowledge and civilization, they may have severed a vital connection that influenced the cosmos, prompting readers to reflect on the nature of belief, culture, and humanity's legacy. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  nOriginal publication data not identified  aScience fiction  aShort stories  aHuman-alien encounters -- Fiction  aLife on other planets -- Fiction  aInterstellar travel -- Fiction 0aProduced from Planet Stories January 195240uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/64007  c104831d104831