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Childhood's End

 Arthur C. Clarke
 

Key Facts

 
full title ·  Childhood's End
 
author ·  Arthur C. Clarke
 
type of work ·  Novel
 
genre ·  Science fiction
 
language ·  American English
 
time and place written ·  1950—1953, America
 
date of first publication ·  1953
 
publisher ·  Ballantine Books
 
narrator ·  3rd person omniscient
 
climax ·  The climax occurs when the children of the last generation of humanity are assimilated into the Overmind, destroying the Earth in the process.
 
protagonist(s) ·  Karellen; Stormgren; George Greggson; Jan Rodricks
 
antagonist ·  There is not really any true "protagonists" in Childhood's End, although it can be argued that both the Overlords and the Overmind fulfill a kind of antagonic role.
 
setting (time) ·  Late twentieth century; 2050s; 2130s
 
setting (place) ·  Earth
 
point of view ·  The narrator maintains a fairly straightforward manner of third-person narration.
 
falling action ·  The Overlords watch as the Earth is destroyed, then continue on their way to serve the Overmind.
 
tense ·  Immediate past; that is, real-time narration
 
foreshadowing ·  There is much foreshadowing in Childhood's End. One good example is that since the Overlords resemble a medieval conception of "the Devil," they can be read as foreshadowing the Overlords' role in the ultimate destruction of humanity.
 
tone ·  The tone of the novel is fairly neutral.
 
themes ·  Technology and power; the limits of knowledge; evolutionary purpose; the problems of utopian society
 
motifs ·  Deception; Christian imagery and folklore; collective unconscious; racial memory
 
symbols ·  The Overlords; the Overmind; New Athens
 
 
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