Northwest Smith
Northwest Smith is the main character of a series of science fiction short stories of American fiction / fantasy writer CL Moore. He made her first appearance in the short story Shambleau that appeared in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1933.
Basis of action
Smith is spaceman, smugglers and adventurers in an unspecified future in which humanity has opened up the entire solar system. This is based on the assumption that all the planets are habitable in principle and are actually inhabited at least in part by human-like cultures. However, the underground culture dominates the solar system. They thereby assumes the role of a colonial power, the civilization inferior or degenerate systems effectively controlled, comparable to the colonial powers of the 19th century. The underground culture maintains foreign and trading post on the planet; outside this item prevail mostly degenerate systems and relationships on the brink of anarchy. Governments in terms of effective central powers are not described and do not seem to exist.
Character
Smith is a questionable hero with loosened moral terms. It is often presented as a smuggler, or the description of his "business" is deliberately kept vague so that a legally dubious background is close. Although he has a "good heart " and touches of chivalry, in principle, he appears ruthless, selfish and cynical. Smith is described as a dark-haired man with bright eyes and hard sunlight tanned skin. He is wearing a spaceman suit of leather and is always armed with a ray gun, which he also needed. It has its own little spaceship, the Maid.
Smith is frequently accompanied by his cronies, the Venusianers Yarol holding the function of the sidekicks in the history.
Background
The universe described by Moore in the " Northwest Smith " - short stories is in many ways typical of the pulp science fiction of the early 20th century. All the planets are, regardless of the realities and even then known circumstances, habitable, and have also usually have their own, more or less human-like cultures. The underground culture and technology dominates, it has settled on the planet and is outside of the local social and political situation. The parallels to the titles in the time Wild West Pulpromanen are obvious. In the " cities" is a relative order when it is threatened often by violence and corruption, outside the cities prevail chaotic conditions in which only the hero can exist. Thus the then prevailing basic assumption of the superiority of "Western " colonial powers is mapped against " native " cultures.
Even the acting characters of pulp science fiction were, as the actions to be mostly direct transfers from the Western popular literature, which are characterized by highly simplified traits and distinct black and white painting. Many elements of the Wild West have been taken in an adapted form. The Western cities were to spaceports, the prairie to the universe, the horse to the spaceship, the turret to the ray gun, the opaque Indians to alien cultures. In fact, even Northwest Smith Moore was first conceived as a Western character. However, Moore kept the name because they found it amusing that a character named " Northwest " in an environment in which directions have no meaning.
From this schematic, the amoral characters, dazzling Smith takes off, while the hero of the Wild West and based on science fiction novels is clearly positively occupied. This first appeared in the genre to a hero whose character and motives are complex and ambiguous.
Just like Northwest Smith was a novel in the genre hero, even Jirel of Joiry, another figure Moores emancipated from the traditional gender stereotypes. Both figures can be regarded as seminal in the fiction / fantasy genre.
Short stories with Northwest Smith
( each appeared in the magazine Weird Tales )
- Shambleau ( November 1933 )
- Black Thirst ( engl. Black Thirst, April 1934 )
- Scarlet Dream (May 1934)
- Dust of Gods ( August 1934 )
- Julhi ( March 1935 )
- The Cold Gray God ( October 1935 )
- Yvala ( February 1936 )
- The Tree of Life ( October 1936 )