Clockwork (novel)

Last updated

Clockwork
ClockworkbyPullman.jpg
First edition (UK)
Author Philip Pullman
IllustratorPeter Bailey
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
GenreChildren's novel
Publisher Doubleday
Publication date
1996
Media typePrint
Pages92 pp
ISBN 0-385-40755-6
OCLC 36964106

Clockwork, or All Wound Up is an illustrated short children's book by Philip Pullman, first published in the United Kingdom in 1996 by Doubleday, and in the United States by Arthur A. Levine Books in 1998. The Doubleday edition was illustrated by Peter Bailey and the Arthur A. Levine Books edition was illustrated by Leonid Gore. [1] It was shortlisted for both the Whitbread Children's Book Award and for a Carnegie Medal in 1997. [2]

Contents

Pullman has said his novel was inspired by an old clock he came across in London's Science Museum. [1] Noting the movement of the clock's gears, he wrote the story with elements that move in opposite directions. [3]

Plot

Clockwork is set in the town of Glockenheim in Germany in "the old days". It has three main characters: Karl, an apprentice clockmaker who has failed to make a figure for the town clock; Gretl, who is a very selfless young girl is also one of the main characters and is the daughter of the innkeeper of Glockenheim and Fritz, a local writer whose unfinished story sets the gears of Clockwork turning. [4]

The townspeople gather in the White Horse Tavern the evening before a new figure for their town clock made by Karl is to be unveiled. Karl, however, admits to Fritz that he has not made the figure, the first apprentice in hundreds of years to fail to do so.

The people in the tavern listen to Fritz read his latest story about a local aristocrat, Prince Otto, and his young son, Prince Florian. Prince Otto dies while on a hunting trip. His heart has been replaced with a clockwork mechanism that enables him to drive his son home in their sledge. Fritz wrote down the story after having a dream, but he has not thought of an ending for it, and hopes that he will be able to think up one on the spot: "He was just going to wind up the story, set it going, and make up the end when he got there."

The story begins to come true when Dr. Kalmeneius comes to the door of the tavern. Fritz flees in terror. Dr. Kalmeneius offers Karl a clockwork figure called Sir Ironsoul, which Karl accepts. Karl's acceptance of the gift sets in motion a chain of interlocking stories. A price must be paid for this gift, as Sir Ironsoul is a mechanical knight that comes alive and kills anyone who says the word "Devil". Only the song "The Flowers of Lapland" can stop him.

The narrative shifts back and forwards through time. [5] It is revealed that Prince Florian was made from clockwork by Dr. Kalmeneius at the wishes of his father. His mechanical heart will soon wind down. Gretl is the only person who can restore true life to him. All the stories come together as one. Karl places Prince Florian in the clock's tower as his apprentice piece. Karl is killed by Sir Ironsoul. Gretl finishes the journey by bringing Prince Florian to life through her unselfish love.

Literary analysis

Clockwork has been described as an exciting, suspenseful fairy tale written in an ironic and amusing style. It has a strong moral message. [5] Pullman uses the literary technique of parallel authorial commentary, similar to Rudyard Kipling in Just So Stories . [6] He uses the idea of clockwork as a metafictive device, comparing the interrelated plot elements to the elements of a clock's mechanism. [5]

Pullman provides a moral critique of contemporary Western culture in Clockwork. It is a metaphor for the idea that humanity has been sacrificed as society has become more mechanised. Prince Otto's clockwork heart is a direct allusion to the famous quotation from Thomas Carlyle's 19th-century essay "Signs of the Times": "Men are grown mechanical in head and in heart, as well as in hand".

The essay was a warning to Victorian society about the dangers of industrialisation and capitalism. Pullman's novel has a similar warning. [5]

The author also takes the moral position that fulfilment cannot come solely from dreams, and needs dedicated hard work allied with inspiration to be achieved. Karl makes a Faustian bargain with Dr. Kalmenius because he wants an easy way to fulfil his ambition. The Faustian allusions are made clear when Sir Ironsoul becomes murderous when the word "devil" is mentioned and can only be stopped by a special song. [5]

The novel also has allusions to Mary Shelley's Frankenstein . Fritz's story comes to him in a dream, similar to how Shelley experienced the writing of her novel. Dr. Kalmenius can be compared to Dr. Frankenstein as he seeks the secret of life and is prepared to make a monster to do this. [5]

Stage adaptation

A version with music by Stephen McNeff and libretto by David Wood toured the United Kingdom before playing in the Linbury Studio Theatre at London's Royal Opera House in March 2004. The production's orchestra was formed from musicians from the Philharmonia Orchestra and Martin Music Scholarship Fund Award Scheme. [3] [7]

Related Research Articles

<i>Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser</i> Characters by Fritz Leiber

Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser are two sword-and-sorcery heroes appearing in stories written by American author Fritz Leiber. They are the protagonists of what are probably Leiber's best-known stories. One of his motives in writing them was to have a couple of fantasy heroes closer to true human nature than the likes of Howard's Conan the Barbarian or Burroughs's Tarzan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clockwork</span> Mechanism of a clock

Clockwork refers to the inner workings of either mechanical devices called clocks and watches or other mechanisms that work similarly, using a series of gears driven by a spring or weight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Dickson Carr</span> American mystery novelist and playwright (1906–1977)

John Dickson Carr was an American author of detective stories, who also published using the pseudonyms Carter Dickson, Carr Dickson, and Roger Fairbairn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automaton</span> Self-operating machine

An automaton is a relatively self-operating machine, or control mechanism designed to automatically follow a sequence of operations, or respond to predetermined instructions. Some automata, such as bellstrikers in mechanical clocks, are designed to give the illusion to the casual observer that they are operating under their own power or will, like a mechanical robot. The term has long been commonly associated with automated puppets that resemble moving humans or animals, built to impress and/or to entertain people.

The Student Prince is an operetta in a prologue and four acts with music by Sigmund Romberg and book and lyrics by Dorothy Donnelly. It is based on Wilhelm Meyer-Förster's play Old Heidelberg. The piece has a score with some of Romberg's most enduring and beautiful tunes, including "Golden Days", "Drinking Song", "Deep in My Heart, Dear", "Just We Two" and "Serenade". The plot has elements of melodrama but lacks the swashbuckling style common to Romberg's other works.

<i>Barnaby Rudge</i> 1841 novel by Charles Dickens

Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty is a historical novel by British novelist Charles Dickens. Barnaby Rudge was one of two novels that Dickens published in his short-lived (1840–1841) weekly serial Master Humphrey's Clock. Barnaby Rudge is largely set during the Gordon Riots of 1780.

<i>The Testament of Dr. Mabuse</i> 1933 film by Fritz Lang

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, also called The Last Will of Dr. Mabuse, is a 1933 German crime-thriller film directed by Fritz Lang. The movie is a sequel to Lang's silent film Dr. Mabuse the Gambler (1922) and features many cast and crew members from Lang's previous films. Dr. Mabuse is in an insane asylum where he is found frantically writing his crime plans. When Mabuse's criminal plans begin to be implemented, Inspector Lohmann tries to find the solution with clues from gangster Thomas Kent, the institutionalized Hofmeister and Professor Baum who becomes obsessed with Dr. Mabuse.

<i>Doctor Faustus</i> (novel) 1947 novel by Thomas Mann

Doctor Faustus is a German novel written by Thomas Mann, begun in 1943 and published in 1947 as Doktor Faustus: Das Leben des deutschen Tonsetzers Adrian Leverkühn, erzählt von einem Freunde.

<i>Westmark</i> (novel) 1981 fantasy novel by Lloyd Alexander

Westmark is a 1981 fantasy novel by Lloyd Alexander, named for a fictional kingdom that is its setting. Alternatively, Westmark is a trilogy named for the novel, its first book. The novel won a 1982 National Book Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reginald Owen</span> British actor (1887–1972)

John Reginald Owen was a British actor, known for his many roles in British and American films and television programs.

<i>Prince Otto</i>

Prince Otto: A Romance is a novel written by Robert Louis Stevenson, first published in 1885.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Richter (actor)</span> German actor

Hans Richter was a German film actor. He appeared in more than 130 films between 1931 and 1984, mostly in supporting roles. He was born in Brandenburg, Germany and died in Heppenheim, Germany.

<i>Kay the Left-Handed</i> 1935 historical novel by Leslie Barringer

Kay the Left-Handed is a historical novel by Leslie Barringer set in twelfth century England. It was first published in the United Kingdom by Heinemann in 1935; an American edition from Doubleday followed later the same year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Hörbiger</span> Austrian actor (1894–1981)

Paul Hörbiger was an Austrian theatre and film actor.

<i>Carl Peters</i> (film) 1941 film

Carl Peters is a 1941 German historical drama film directed by Herbert Selpin and starring Hans Albers, Karl Dannemann, and Fritz Odemar. It was produced as an anti-British propaganda film during the Second World War.

<i>Hitlerjunge Quex</i> (film) 1933 film

Hitlerjunge Quex, in English Hitler Youth Quex, is a 1933 German film directed by Hans Steinhoff, based on the similarly named 1932 novel Der Hitlerjunge Quex by Karl Aloys Schenzinger. The film was shown in the US under the title Our Flag Leads Us Forward.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Villa Haas</span> Manor house, German: Herrenhaus in municipality of Sinn, Hesse

Villa Haas is a historical villa in the small city of Sinn, Hesse located at the western edge of the Hörre in Germany (Lahn-Dill-Kreis). The villa, the park, and the surrounding streets "Hansastrasse / Rudolfstrasse" are Renaissance Revival architecture cultural monuments.

Clockwork Watch is a collaborative transmedia storytelling project set in a retro-futurist steampunk vision of Victorian England. Launched in May 2012, this five-year immersive participatory story is told through graphic novels, interactive promenade theatre, online adventures, an interactive book, and a feature film. The project was created and produced in London by Yomi Ayeni.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Master Zacharius</span> Short story by Jules Verne

Master Zacharius, or the clockmaker who lost his soul is an 1854 short story by Jules Verne. The story, an intensely Romantic fantasy echoing the works of E. T. A. Hoffmann, is a Faustian tragedy about an inventor whose overpowering pride leads to his downfall.

<i>The Malacia Tapestry</i> 1976 novel by Brian Aldiss

The Malacia Tapestry is a fantasy-historical novel by British writer Brian Aldiss, published in 1976. The story takes place in a fictional port city called Malacia, which is an alternate history version of a Renaissance city-state. It tells the story of a poor young actor named Perian de Chirolo who hopes to change his station in life so he can marry a wealthy merchant's daughter. While Malacia is considered a near-utopia, the happiness in the city belies the authoritarian rule of the powerful Supreme Council, which uses fear to prevent progress.

References

  1. 1 2 "Clockwork". philip-pullman.com. Archived from the original on 21 October 2007.
  2. "Philip Pullman". contemporarywriters.com. Archived from the original on 11 April 2007.
  3. 1 2 Portillo, Michael (29 March 2004). "Saved by a song". New Statesman . Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  4. Baines, Lawrence, ed. (2 April 1999). "Young Adult Books in Review Recently Published Titles Spring 1999". Virginia Tech University Libraries. 26 (3). Retrieved 11 March 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Thacker, Deborah Cogan; Webb, Jean (25 July 2002). Introducing Children's Literature: From Romanticism to Postmodernism. Routledge. ISBN   978-0415204101.[ page needed ]
  6. Hunt, Peter (27 December 2000). Children's Literature. John Wiley & Sons. p. 114. ISBN   0-631211411.
  7. "Clockwork". Unicorn Theatre. Archived from the original on 3 July 2008.