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Sirius (novel)
Encyclopedia
Sirius is a 1944 science fiction
novel by the British
philosopher and author Olaf Stapledon
.
Scientist Thomas Trelone creates a super-intelligent dog
, named Sirius. He is the only dog to have attained a humanlike intelligence. Other dogs of the same breed Trelone created, have an intermediate intelligence (they are above the dog's average intelligence, but they cannot learn, speak or think as Sirius progressively does). A sense of existential
questioning suffuses the book, as the author delves into every aspect of Sirius's psyche
. The novel deals with a lot of human issues through Sirius and his experiences, his unusual nature, his ideas and his relationships with humans, showing a very gloomy, intelligent, obscure, sad, and complex tale, whose significance and depth cannot be fully understood, and is often misinterpreted.
Sirius is raised in North Wales, near Trawsfynydd
. He is born at the same time as his creator's human daughter Plaxy, and the two of them are raised together as brother and sister. The characters go to great lengths to prevent Sirius from becoming a circus
-type wonderdog, and instead, they seek to develop Sirius's character much like a family would create and foster that of a human child. The intelligence of the dog is comparable to normal human beings and he is able to communicate with English words, although it takes some time to understand his "doggish" pronunciation. He travels around Britain before and during the war, meets scientists, discusses several political, sociological and religious issues along the way. He develops a mystical idea of the perfect hunting, which is associated with the sophisticated canine smell skills. The scent he pursues, the prey he's looking for is God. When Sirius returns home, he mostly works as a sophisticated sheep-dog. But after seeing the destruction, death and misery of war, and mankind's stupidity (and also owing to his uncommon nature, which makes him isolated and unique during the whole book, neither human nor canine), he has a spiritual breakdown, and begins to indulge more and more his animal nature (destructive and irrational). The final part of the story deals with his hatred towards humans and towards himself, and his violent acts. It also deals with the rumours of the rural community about Plaxy having a sexual relationship with Sirius--which the novel's narrator (Plaxy's human lover) indirectly confirms that they tried to have, but gave up due to the basic physical incompatibility between their species. They have, during the whole tale, their political and personal issues, but also a very special bond, which leads to the idea of a mystical or metaphysical relationship, based on love and understanding. Sirius starts killing other farmers' sheep and dogs, and even humans, which makes him an outlaw, chased by the community.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
novel by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
philosopher and author Olaf Stapledon
Olaf Stapledon
William Olaf Stapledon was a British philosopher and author of several influential works of science fiction.-Life:...
.
Scientist Thomas Trelone creates a super-intelligent dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
, named Sirius. He is the only dog to have attained a humanlike intelligence. Other dogs of the same breed Trelone created, have an intermediate intelligence (they are above the dog's average intelligence, but they cannot learn, speak or think as Sirius progressively does). A sense of existential
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
questioning suffuses the book, as the author delves into every aspect of Sirius's psyche
Psyche (psychology)
The word psyche has a long history of use in psychology and philosophy, dating back to ancient times, and has been one of the fundamental concepts for understanding human nature from a scientific point of view. The English word soul is sometimes used synonymously, especially in older...
. The novel deals with a lot of human issues through Sirius and his experiences, his unusual nature, his ideas and his relationships with humans, showing a very gloomy, intelligent, obscure, sad, and complex tale, whose significance and depth cannot be fully understood, and is often misinterpreted.
Sirius is raised in North Wales, near Trawsfynydd
Trawsfynydd
Trawsfynydd is a village in Gwynedd, North Wales, adjacent to the A470 north of Dolgellau near Blaenau Ffestiniog....
. He is born at the same time as his creator's human daughter Plaxy, and the two of them are raised together as brother and sister. The characters go to great lengths to prevent Sirius from becoming a circus
Circus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
-type wonderdog, and instead, they seek to develop Sirius's character much like a family would create and foster that of a human child. The intelligence of the dog is comparable to normal human beings and he is able to communicate with English words, although it takes some time to understand his "doggish" pronunciation. He travels around Britain before and during the war, meets scientists, discusses several political, sociological and religious issues along the way. He develops a mystical idea of the perfect hunting, which is associated with the sophisticated canine smell skills. The scent he pursues, the prey he's looking for is God. When Sirius returns home, he mostly works as a sophisticated sheep-dog. But after seeing the destruction, death and misery of war, and mankind's stupidity (and also owing to his uncommon nature, which makes him isolated and unique during the whole book, neither human nor canine), he has a spiritual breakdown, and begins to indulge more and more his animal nature (destructive and irrational). The final part of the story deals with his hatred towards humans and towards himself, and his violent acts. It also deals with the rumours of the rural community about Plaxy having a sexual relationship with Sirius--which the novel's narrator (Plaxy's human lover) indirectly confirms that they tried to have, but gave up due to the basic physical incompatibility between their species. They have, during the whole tale, their political and personal issues, but also a very special bond, which leads to the idea of a mystical or metaphysical relationship, based on love and understanding. Sirius starts killing other farmers' sheep and dogs, and even humans, which makes him an outlaw, chased by the community.
Outline
- First Meeting
- The Making of Sirius
- Infancy
- Youth
- Sheep-Dog Apprentice
- Birth Pangs of a Personality
- Wolf Sirius
- Sirius at Cambridge
- Sirius and Religion
- Experiences in London
- Man as Tyrant
- Farmer Sirius
- Effects of War
- Tan-y-Voel
- Strange Triangle
- Plaxy Conscripted
- Outlaw