"Mimsy Were the Borogoves" Rating: 4 Planets
by Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore writing as Lewis Padgett  
first published in Astounding, 1943  
collected in The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume I  
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Preview
The Parradine children, Scott and Emma, discover a box of toys and through experimentation figure out how to use it.

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Background Data
Atom BulletThe stories Kuttner and Moore wrote under the Padgett pseudonym were mostly Kuttner's.
Atom BulletKuttner and Moore broadened science fiction to embody a concern for literary qualities and cultural references.
Atom BulletThe story is important for its status as a transition work that enlarges the subject matter of science fiction to the perception of transcendent, not-rational consciousness.
Atom Bullet The story's title comes from the third line of the poem "Jabberwocky" which appears in the novel Through the Looking Glass which was published in 1871 by Charles L. Dodgson under the pseudonym Lewis Carroll.

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Navigation Guide
Atom BulletWhere did the box of toys come from?
Atom BulletWhat do we know about Unthahorsten and where he comes from?
Atom BulletExplain the theory of preconception advanced by Holloway? How plausible is this theory to you?
Atom BulletWhy do the children want to leave? Where do they go?
Atom BulletHow are the children able to leave?

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Further Exploration
Atom BulletWhat happened to the second box sent to Earth by Unthahorsten?
Atom Bullet This is a story told mostly from the parents' point of view about children vanishing in thin air. Yet the story's tone is neither frightening or horrifying. Explain.
Atom BulletIs this story truly science fiction or truly fantasy or some hybrid literature of the fantastic?

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SciFi Guide
© 2002 Agatha Taormina
Last Revised: January 4, 2005