000 02343cam a22003613u 4500
001 72507
003 UtSlPG
005 20260610134657.0
006 m
007 cr n
008 260607r20231953utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d
040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aDerleth, August,
_d1909-1971
245 1 4 _aThe Maugham Obsession
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2023
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from Fantastic Universe June-July 1953.
500 _aRelease date is 2023-12-25
508 _aGreg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"The Maugham Obsession" by August Derleth is a science fiction short story written in the early 1950s. The narrative delves into the life of Quintus Maugham, an inventor obsessively perfecting his creation—a humanoid robot named Herman. The story explores the themes of ambition and the potential consequences of pushing the boundaries of invention, highlighting the fine line between success and obsession. In the tale, Maugham's journey reveals the evolution of Herman from a mere invention to an entity that exhibits increasingly human-like characteristics. As Maugham's obsession grows, he becomes increasingly detached, neglecting social interactions and his own well-being in favor of perfecting Herman. The story culminates in Maugham's mysterious disappearance when a flood strikes his new home in Nevada, suggesting a blurred reality where the lines between creator and creation, human and machine, become indistinguishable. The ironic twist at the end, where their identities are transposed in a newspaper report, underscores the story's commentary on the nature of humanity and the dangers of obsession. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _pOriginally published:
_cNew York, NY: King-Size Publications, Inc., 1953
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
653 _aInventors -- Fiction
653 _aRobots -- Fiction
830 0 _aProduced from Fantastic Universe June-July 1953.
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/72507
999 _c113232
_d113232