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The Machine Stops. by E. M. Forster. First published in the Oxford and Cambridge Review, November 1909. 1 The Air-Ship. Imagine, if you can, a small room, hexagonal in shape, like the cell of a bee. It is lighted neither by window nor by lamp, yet it is filled with a soft radiance.
Plot summary. 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.
Feb 13, 2021 · ‘The Machine Stops’ (1909) is probably E. M. Forster’s best-known short story. The story’s influence can arguably be seen on George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four, Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, and Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror.
The Committee of the Machine reveals that the Mending Apparatus itself has been broken. One day, the ultimate disaster strikes, and the Machine stops entirely. All lines of communication are cut, and the air and light start to dissipate, condemning all the people living underground to certain death.
The best study guide to The Machine Stops on the planet, from the creators of SparkNotes. Get the summaries, analysis, and quotes you need.
The Machine Stops is a remarkably prescient science fiction short novella by E. M. Forster. In the world he describes, humans live underground, as the surface of the Earth is thought to be unsuitable or dangerous.
Considered one of the best early examples of science fiction, E. M. Forster’s short story, “The Machine Stops,” first published in 1909, is notable for predicting several modern technologies decades before they became practical, including the Internet and instant messaging.
