Stanisław Lem - Forum

English => Forum in English => Wątek zaczęty przez: Aen_Aenis w Kwietnia 22, 2009, 12:31:15 am

Tytuł: Return From The Stars
Wiadomość wysłana przez: Aen_Aenis w Kwietnia 22, 2009, 12:31:15 am
Greetings to all...

RFTS is my favorite Lem novel. I regret that I did not get to tell him this before he died. 

Reguardless, I am interested in hearing your views on what the *central theme* of the novel was?

In my estimation of things, I see the theme as being this:

- Humanity, despite its flaws, contains a uniqueness in it's passions. Our passions are an underlying (possibly or probabably, depending on how you look at it) source of our strength. Our passions, however misguided or dysfunctional, give us character. To undermine these is to leave us destitute in emotionality and intellect. Our greatest weaknesses, our greatest fears - these give rise to our greatest strengths. Without such emotional qualities, humanity becomes robot-like: a programmed existence leaving nothing to doubt - and in doing so destroys both the humanity and the inhumanity in Man.

[Note: "MAN" to not humanity; not mysogyny implied.]

Your thoughts?

Tytuł: Re: Return From The Stars
Wiadomość wysłana przez: Aen_Aenis w Kwietnia 22, 2009, 09:00:14 pm
No replies huh? LOL
Tytuł: Re: Return From The Stars
Wiadomość wysłana przez: Miesław w Kwietnia 25, 2009, 09:51:20 pm
Well, well, well...

It's been quite a few years since I've read RFTS, so my answer will be very brief. I completely agree with your point of view - this is a book about humanity. In addition to this, I would also mention the problem of space journeys - the novel starts in a place in which most stories end: when Hal returns to the Earth, he finds out that people aren't interested in his expedition at all. But still, the matter of being human seems to be the main theme.

Yet one more thing: RFTS is rarely considered as Lem's best (and my favourite one is Star Diaries).