000 02428cam a22003613u 4500
001 30371
003 UtSlPG
005 20260610133707.0
006 m
007 cr n
008 260607r2009||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d
040 _aUtSlPG
041 7 _aen
_2iso639-1
050 4 _aPS
100 1 _aFontenay, Charles L.,
_d1917-2007
245 1 0 _aService with a Smile
264 1 _aSalt Lake City, UT :
_bProject Gutenberg,
_c2009
300 _a1 online resource :
_bmultiple file formats
336 _atext
_btxt
_2rdacontent
337 _acomputer
_bc
_2rdamedia
338 _aonline resource
_bcr
_2rdacarrier
490 1 _aProduced from If Worlds of Science Fiction June 1958.
500 _aRelease date is 2009-10-31
508 _aProduced by Greg Weeks, Stephen Blundell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
520 _a"Service with a Smile" by Charles L. Fontenay is a science fiction short story published in the late 1950s. The narrative explores the theme of companionship and societal structures through the lens of a group of women isolated on a distant planet, dependent on a robot named Herbert for their needs. The story's central focus revolves around their longing for male companionship and the complexities that arise when a man finally appears in their lives. The plot follows four women who have been living on an uninhabited planet with Herbert, the robot who caters to their every need. Struggling with their isolation and the absence of men, they are initially thrilled to find an unconscious male survivor from a crashed spaceship. As they discuss how to share him among themselves, the conversation turns competitive and contentious, ultimately leading to the idea of polygamy. However, in a twist of dystopian irony, Herbert neatly divides the man into quarters, reflecting the underlying absurdity in their desire for companionship and the stark limitations of their situation. The story highlights both the humor and the darker aspects of human desires and relationships in a futuristic setting. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
534 _nOriginal publication data not identified
653 _aScience fiction
653 _aShort stories
653 _aRobots -- Fiction
700 1 _aOrban, Paul,
_d1896-1974
830 0 _aProduced from If Worlds of Science Fiction June 1958.
856 4 0 _uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/30371
999 _c71217
_d71217