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"'Repent, Harlequin!' Said the Ticktockman"
by Harlan Ellison

• Publishing Data • Preview • Background • Navigation Guide •
Publishing Data

Originally published in Galaxy, December 1965
Winner of the Hugo for Best Short Story
Winner of the Nebula for Best Short Story

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Preview
In a totalitarian society ruled by rigid adherence to punctuality, a man disrupts schedules.
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Background
  • In the commedia dell'arte of 16th century Italy, the Harlequin was the stock character of the conventional buffoon. Traditionally he appeared in a mask and parti-colored tights.
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Navigation Guide
Describe the society depicted in this story.
Contrast the Harlequin's behavior in public and his behavior in private. Of what significance is this contrast?
How does the Ticktockman react to the Harlequin? Why doesn't he terminate the Harlequin immediately?
Why does Pretty Alice turn the Harlequin over to the authorities?
Is the Ticktockman a villain?
Who triumphs in the end?
This story is set in the far future. How does Ellison give you the feeling of being in the 24th century?
The story begins and ends with references to quotations from Henry David Thoreau. Why?
 
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