The Beautiful People

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Beaumont, Charles, 1929-1967

Series:

Produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction September 1952.

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource : multiple file formats

Place of Publication:

Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg,

Summary:

"The Beautiful People" by Charles Beaumont is a thought-provoking collection of science fiction stories written during the mid-20th century. The book delves into themes of beauty, identity, and societal expectations, exploring the lengths to which individuals go to conform to idealized standards. The narrative focuses on the pressures faced by a young girl named Mary, who grapples with the societal mandate of undergoing a physical transformation to achieve beauty. In the story, Mary Cuberle is an 18-year-old girl who rejects the societal pressure to undergo a Transformation that everyone else embraces to become beautiful. As she interacts with her mother and a psychiatrist, the story reveals a dystopian world where beauty is enforced and conformity is paramount. Mary holds onto her identity and self-worth, opposed to the idea of changing her appearance. This inner conflict escalates to the point where her refusal becomes a matter of public scrutiny, leading to a dramatic confrontation about individuality versus societal norms. Ultimately, the tale serves as a cautionary reflection on the value of authentic selfhood amid relentless pressures for conformity. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Credits:

Produced by Greg Weeks, Dianna Adair and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

Notes:

Reading ease score: 87.4 (6th grade). Easy to read.

Release date is 2011-05-29