Happy Holidays from the Rocketeer! We are in a transitional space for the next few days, one foot in 2024 and one in 2025. It’s a magical place—perfect for a dreamy story like, “Pygmalion’s Spectacles” by Stanley Weinbaum. If you’d like to read it for yourself, you can grab a free copy over at Project Gutenberg.
I see that I misspoke during the podcast mistakenly referring to “C.L. Lewis” instead of “C.S. Lewis.” Yes, I do know the difference, my tongue just got away from me. lol
Here are a few cool illustrations from the story. The first one from its initial appearance in Wonder Stories (1935.) The second is from the reprint in Startling Stories (1939.) Which do you prefer? Personally, I’m fond of the latter but both really great.
Why do you think the Pygmalion myth is still so popular? Why are we so attracted to paracosms? What are we longing so hard for? As a creative soul, I can tell you from personal experience that I dream of new worlds and new paradigms. The stories we’re forced to live out here are ugly ones, and they’ve gotten so much more unpleasant over the past five years. I’m going to take some time during the holidays to immerse myself in stories that bring me joy. Find your own Paracosma and take a quick trip there. Your soul will thank you.
Happy holidays from the Rocketeer!
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