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Fantasy Commentator, v. 1, issue 10, Spring 1946
Page 237
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 237 The Superman in Modern English Fiction by Richard Witter Introduction Supermen---what are they: mutations, freaks, or the successful results of scientific experiments? Since the appearance of the first modern story concerning them at the turn of the century, many authors have dealt with possibilities implied by these questions. The fictional beings resulting have thus assumed various forms and been endowed with diverse powers superior to those of the normal homo sapiens. However, they all fall into two broad classifications. The first includes what I shall henceforth term "singular supermen": those unique individuals possessing no fellows who share their abnormal characteristics. In the second category, on the other hand, are the ones who are members of larger groups; these will be referred to hereafter as "racial supermen." A further dividing line has proved helpful in treating the theme: "subjective" and "objective" supermen. By the former, I refer to those who are largely dominated by their surroundings---in short, ones which succumb to the inertia of the world about them; those of the latter, on the contrary, attempt to mold their envirionments to suit their own personal needs and wishes, seldom seeking escape from antagonistic reaction. Certain cases must naturally be omitted from consideration, if only in order to keep this article within the bounds of manageable length. Among such exclusions are robots, whether mere mechanical gadgets or machines operated by intelligence (as Binder's Adam Link); extra-terrestrial creatures, either in human form or otherwise; visitors to this world from the past or future (e.g., the ones in Out of the Silence) that have attained a high degree of racial advancement; superbeings not belonging to the genus homo sapiens (for example, Stapledon's Sirius); men who can fly, walk on water, or perform similar feats---which thus excludes Eric Knight's Sam Small and "The Tramp" of L. Ron Hubbard. Since their appearance in science-fiction's history, such fabulous characters as Buck Rogers, Hawk Carse and Kimbal Kinnison have grown in stature to the point where they are considered virtually superhuman; this is not a true interpretation of fact, however, as they are merely human beings slightly above normal for their respective times, and consequently warrant no mention here. Lastly, one variety has been deliberately omitted---or included only in those cases where superhuman powers are possessed in addition to the chief claim for fame. This claim rests in immortality, a theme found in such works as Phra the Phoenician, After the Afternoon and "The Man Who Awoke" series. These and other similar items form the basis for a future companion article to be titled "The Immortal Man in Modern English Fiction." Book One: The Singular Superman I Birth or Creation Simplest of all raisons d'etre for a superman is that of simply having him arrive unexplained on the scene. This device is utilized in Fearn's "Mental Ultimate," Weinbaum's New Adam and the Englishman's Gladiator, The Fiery Gate of Ronald Fraser. One is tempted to relegate them to a natural mutant origin. Such mutants, while probably easiest to postulate, are also the most plausible. For these reasons mutations of various kinds are often encountered among singular superman, though only rarely are they specifically stated to be of natural origin. Two examples are "But Without Horns," where heterogeneous rays bombarding the planet are assigned responibility, and "The World of A," in which
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FANTASY COMMENTATOR 237 The Superman in Modern English Fiction by Richard Witter Introduction Supermen---what are they: mutations, freaks, or the successful results of scientific experiments? Since the appearance of the first modern story concerning them at the turn of the century, many authors have dealt with possibilities implied by these questions. The fictional beings resulting have thus assumed various forms and been endowed with diverse powers superior to those of the normal homo sapiens. However, they all fall into two broad classifications. The first includes what I shall henceforth term "singular supermen": those unique individuals possessing no fellows who share their abnormal characteristics. In the second category, on the other hand, are the ones who are members of larger groups; these will be referred to hereafter as "racial supermen." A further dividing line has proved helpful in treating the theme: "subjective" and "objective" supermen. By the former, I refer to those who are largely dominated by their surroundings---in short, ones which succumb to the inertia of the world about them; those of the latter, on the contrary, attempt to mold their envirionments to suit their own personal needs and wishes, seldom seeking escape from antagonistic reaction. Certain cases must naturally be omitted from consideration, if only in order to keep this article within the bounds of manageable length. Among such exclusions are robots, whether mere mechanical gadgets or machines operated by intelligence (as Binder's Adam Link); extra-terrestrial creatures, either in human form or otherwise; visitors to this world from the past or future (e.g., the ones in Out of the Silence) that have attained a high degree of racial advancement; superbeings not belonging to the genus homo sapiens (for example, Stapledon's Sirius); men who can fly, walk on water, or perform similar feats---which thus excludes Eric Knight's Sam Small and "The Tramp" of L. Ron Hubbard. Since their appearance in science-fiction's history, such fabulous characters as Buck Rogers, Hawk Carse and Kimbal Kinnison have grown in stature to the point where they are considered virtually superhuman; this is not a true interpretation of fact, however, as they are merely human beings slightly above normal for their respective times, and consequently warrant no mention here. Lastly, one variety has been deliberately omitted---or included only in those cases where superhuman powers are possessed in addition to the chief claim for fame. This claim rests in immortality, a theme found in such works as Phra the Phoenician, After the Afternoon and "The Man Who Awoke" series. These and other similar items form the basis for a future companion article to be titled "The Immortal Man in Modern English Fiction." Book One: The Singular Superman I Birth or Creation Simplest of all raisons d'etre for a superman is that of simply having him arrive unexplained on the scene. This device is utilized in Fearn's "Mental Ultimate," Weinbaum's New Adam and the Englishman's Gladiator, The Fiery Gate of Ronald Fraser. One is tempted to relegate them to a natural mutant origin. Such mutants, while probably easiest to postulate, are also the most plausible. For these reasons mutations of various kinds are often encountered among singular superman, though only rarely are they specifically stated to be of natural origin. Two examples are "But Without Horns," where heterogeneous rays bombarding the planet are assigned responibility, and "The World of A," in which
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