Project Gutenberg
2016-02-08
Public domain in the USA.
76
Clothier, Bill
1921
2015
Clothier, William Ernest
Wes
The Semantic War
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
"The Semantic War" by Bill Clothier is a science fiction novella written in the mid-20th century, specifically during the 1950s. This thought-provoking narrative examines the theme of communication and the chaos that can arise from misunderstandings, as manifested through a bizarre and violent conflict grounded in the enigmatic phrases "the Wistick dufels the Moraddy" and "the Moraddy dufels the Wistick." The book highlights how abstract concepts can galvanize groups and individuals to irrational extremes, leading to societal breakdown and personal tragedy. Set against the backdrop of a fragmented societal landscape, the story follows a philosophy professor who witnesses the disintegration of academic and social structures in the wake of this semantic conflict. As people divide themselves into factions based on their allegiance to one slogan or the other, relationships crumble, and violence ensues. The protagonist struggles with feelings of isolation and disillusionment as he tries to comprehend the absurdity of warfare prompted by mere words. Ultimately, he escapes to the mountains, wrestling with the question of which side, if any, possesses true merit amidst the devastation caused by their ideological battle. The narrative culminates in an exploration of meaning, fidelity, and the human condition in a world where language and its interpretations can lead to dire consequences. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
en
Science fiction
Short stories
War stories
College teachers -- Fiction
Philosophers -- Fiction
PS
Text
Science Fiction
Browsing: Literature
Browsing: Science-Fiction & Fantasy
Browsing: Fiction
43354
43359
2024-09-21T11:13:06.032623
2023-09-22T08:20:24.862237
text/html
text/html
39345
2016-02-08T16:07:02
text/html; charset=us-ascii
163663
2016-02-08T16:07:02
text/html; charset=us-ascii
application/zip
182820
2024-09-21T11:13:07.770607
application/epub+zip
181734
2024-09-21T11:13:06.411586
application/epub+zip
81532
2024-09-21T11:13:06.206634
application/epub+zip
215127
2024-09-21T11:13:08.984619
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
208460
2024-09-21T11:13:07.563607
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
108624
2022-09-23T09:33:16.183998
application/x-mobipocket-ebook
36977
36882
2024-09-21T11:13:05.922594
2023-09-22T08:20:24.725180
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
text/plain
36886
2016-02-08T16:07:02
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
14343
2016-02-08T16:07:02
text/plain; charset=us-ascii
application/zip
19527
2024-09-21T11:13:09.113578
application/rdf+xml
22273
2024-09-21T11:13:06.271586
image/jpeg
4080
2024-09-21T11:13:06.238605
image/jpeg
164801
2024-09-21T11:13:06.044783
application/octet-stream
application/zip
Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at
https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog