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The Consolidator

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

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, political satire, 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

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

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, has resulted in the work being classified as proto-science fiction.[3][4]

References

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  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.
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