Lumen (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Camille Flammarion
- First Published: 1872
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Science fiction—cosmic voyage
- Time of Work: The late nineteenth century
- Setting: Earth, interstellar space, and various other worlds
- Genres: Long fiction, Science fiction
- Subjects: Nineteenth century, Other worlds, Space flight or travel, Earth, Space and time, Evolution
- Locales: Space, Earth, Fictional planets
The Plot
In a series of five dialogues, Lumen—a disembodied soul—explains to a human questioner the physical and metaphysical basis of life after death as well as describing the experiences made possible in such an afterlife. The first dialogue includes a crude theory of the relativity of time and space, dramatized by observations of Earth made by a soul traveling close to the speed of light. The second includes a history of Earth, unfolding in reverse, as seen from the viewpoint of a soul traveling faster than light.
Lumen explains that the form of the human body...
[The entire page is 1039 words long]
Join eNotes
Over 3,500 study guides, question and answer forums, literature criticism, reference content, and much more!
