The Macauley Circuit by Robert Silverberg - Literature review Example

Download file to see previous pages A child born with a caul around its head (while traditionally considered a good omen) must have it removed before it can experience the world; Silverberg’s story directly addresses human trepidation in the face of new technology, i.e. the birth of a new age for mankind. Likewise, ‘Circuit’ proves to be a double entendre, for it directly relates to the actual electric circuit that causes the drama of the story, but also connotes the route by which judges travelled in order to hold court. This story is told in the first person, and the narrator must travel a circuit of conflicting emotions before reaching a point of judgment for himself (and also the lesson intended by the author).
The story is set somewhere around the year 2300. The conflict revolves around two main characters, the narrator (a synthesizer interpreter) and Gregor Kolfmann (an aging concert pianist), and their contrasting views about the future of music through technology. Macauley himself, the creator of the title circuit which will bring about the next generation of synthesized music, is essentially a faceless secondary character and therefore his role is incidental. As the narrator observes, “All the young technicians used to tinker with (the imperfect Kennedy circuit of 2261) for diversion, each one hoping he’d find the secret.” (130). Presumably, the problem would have been solved by someone… it was only a matter of time. Therefore the two main characters are important for their opposing opinions about technological evolution. As one of the main concerns of the story is technology, perhaps it would be easier to analyze the characters in terms a computer would understand, a sort of binary code. Computers operate on the principle of the binary code, where the 1 or 0 are values assigned to all properties. ...Download file to see next pagesRead More