The Human Element by Leo P. Kelley
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"The Human Element" by Leo P. Kelley is a science fiction story written in the mid-20th century. The narrative is set in a futuristic society that appears to have advanced significantly in technology, but this progress has come at the cost of humanity and authenticity. The story likely explores the tension between technological advancement and the preservation of human experience and emotion. The plot centers around Kevin Molloy, a man disillusioned with
the sterile and inhumane nature of his society exemplified by the artificiality of modern entertainment, such as a circus run by robots and devoid of genuine human interaction. Struggling against the pressures from his family to conform to societal norms, Kevin sneaks away to the circus and puts on a clown costume to reclaim a lost sense of joy and purpose. In doing so, he inadvertently connects with the audience, allowing them to experience genuine laughter and emotion. Mr. Caldwell, the owner of the circus, recognizes the value of Kevin's performance, seeing it as a necessary return to the essence of entertainment—the "human element"—suggesting a reflection on the importance of humanity in a rapidly advancing world. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Kelley, Leo P., 1928-2002 |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Orban, Paul, 1896-1974 |
| Title | The Human Element |
| Series Title | Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, June 1957 |
| Credits |
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 82.8 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Science fiction |
| Subject | Short stories |
| Subject | Circus -- Fiction |
| Subject | Clowns -- Fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 59982 |
| ISBN (HTML) | 979-8-238-59982-3 |
| Release Date | Jul 25, 2019 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 371 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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