The Consolidator
AuthorDaniel Defoe
Original titleThe Consolidator or, Memoirs of Sundry Transactions from the World in the Moon
CountryEngland
LanguageEnglish
GenreNovel
PublisherW. Taylor
Publication date
1705

The Consolidator; or, Memoirs of Sundry Transactions from the World in the Moon is a fictional adventure by Daniel Defoe published in 1705.[1] It is a satirical novel that mixes fantasy with political and social satire.

Plot summary

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The narrator travels to the Moon through the means of the titular "consolidator" – a chariot with two feathered winged creatures.

Analysis

The novel is a political satire of the British political and society of Defoe's era. For example, each of the chariot's winged steeds represents a houses of parliament.

The chariot has also been described as one of the earliest spaceships (or airships) in known fiction.[2]: 69 [3] This, in addition to its portrayal of the Moon and the concept of space flight, resulted in the work being classified as one of the proto-SF works.[3][4]

References

  1. ^ Karen Severud Cook. "Daniel Defoe's 1705 Fantasy about Chinese Mapmakers on the Moon" (PDF). Icaci.org. Retrieved 15 November 2018.
  2. ^ Ash, Brian (1977). The Visual Encyclopedia of Science Fiction. Harmony Books. ISBN 978-0-517-53174-7.
  3. ^ a b "Authors : Defoe, Daniel : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia". www.sf-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  4. ^ "Themes : Space Flight : SFE : Science Fiction Encyclopedia". www.sf-encyclopedia.com. Retrieved 4 September 2021.

External links


Works by Daniel Defoe
Categories