What is the title?
The Midwich Cuckoos.
Who is the author?
John Wyndham.
What do you know about the author?
John Wyndham was born in 1903. Untill 1911 he lived in Edgbaston, Birmingham, and thenin many parts of England.
After a wide experience of the English preparatory school he was at Bedales from 1918 till 1921. Careers which he tried included farming, law, commercial art, and advertising; he first started writing short stories, intended for sale, in 1925. From 1930 till 1939 he wrote stories of various kinds under different names, almost exclusively for American publications. He also wrote detective novels. During the war he was in the Civil Service and afterwards in the Army. In 1946 he went back to writing stories for publication in the USA and decided to try a modified form of what is unhappily known as "sciende fiction". He wrote The Day of the Triffids and The Kraken Wakes (both of which have been translated into several languages), The Chrysalids, The Midwich Cuckoos (filmed as The Village of the Damned), The Seeds of Time, The Outward Urge (with Lucas Parkes), Trouble with Lichen, Consider Her Ways and Others and Chocky (1968), all of which have been published as Penguins. John Wyndham died in March 1969.
Where does the story take place?:
In the southern part of England in a small village called Midwich. Midwich is situated near three other villages: Trayne, Oppley and Stouch .
When does the story take placen and how much time does it cover?:
It contains two parts, the first part starts at September 26th but there’s no year mentioned. This part covers about 1,5 year. The second part is about 8 years after the end of the first part and this parts covers almost a week.
When was the novel written?:
The Midwich Cuckoos was published in 1957.
Give a description of the main characters:
Richard Gayford Richard is about 30 years and is married to Janet, one of the only non-pregnant women in the story. He the storyteller and is often present at many of the conversations. If he isn’t present he the conversation, he tells it as if he had heard it from another person. His look at certain things are a bit critical. He doesn’t believe things right away. He does have a good hart and can understand more views of one subject. He is willing to spy on the Children for the sake of the village, although at first he is not fond of the idea being a spy.
Gordon Zellaby Mr. Zellaby (often called by his last name, except for his wife Angela) is an old man. He has grey hair and is about 60 to 65 years old. He is a respected man in town and his look at certain things is often different then what the rest thinks. His daughter and wife also get pregnant, but he makes sure they don’t have to care for their baby’s because it’s very hard for them. He is also involved in the foundation of a local research centre where the Children are educated. From the beginning on Mr. Zellaby has a rather good relationship with the Children, but also he doesn’t really understand what they want. His theories about them are slightly unrealistic (but true after all). He talks a lot (but then also meant A LOT). He also does understand that if the Children grow up they will form a threat to society and kills them with a bomb.
Colonel Bernard Westcott is a military officer who has been given the order to investigate and observe the whole situation in Midwich. He rarely speaks, but when he speaks it makes sense. He knows of what is talking. At first nobody knows exactly for who he is working, but later in the story he tells them he is working for the military. He knows that there has also been Children at different places then Midwich but the only the Midwich-Children are still alive.
The Children, can be named as one, because they share a collective mind. They’re very strange "people" and don’t reveal much about themselves. In almost every way they are better developed than humans and many people are concerned they are here to take over the planet. Their reaction at things are always overdone. An example: when a car hits one of the Children accidentally they found it necessary to kill the guy who hit one of them. They are very aware of the situation and when they talk to one of the ‘normal’ people, they talk like an adult and try to evade the subject. Their primary goal is to survive.
Give a short summary of the book (no more then 10 lines):
1.The story begins telling something happened in Midwich. Everyone who enters the town
2.falls into some sort of mysterious sleep (called the Dayout). One day later it’s gone and
3.almost no one is hurt. But almost al the fruitfully woman in the area seem to be pregnant.
4.The people decide to keep the thing quiet. Only they and the military know about it. When 5.the babies are born, they notice they have golden eyes. The have powers to let one do
6.whatever they want. When Richard back after living eight year somewhere else they’ve
7.found out that they grow almost twice as fast and they seem to have a collective. After a
8.few fatal incidents with the Children a group of people tries to kill them, but the Children
9.let them attack each other. Mr. Zellaby is almost the only one who understands the
10.Children, but he also sees they are a threat. At the end he kills them with a bomb.
Is it a novel, a short story or a play?
A novel.
What kind of novel is it?
A phantasy/science fiction with some detective-elements.
Who tells the story (point of view)?
The story is told by an I-person who’s also one of the main characters in the story: Richard Gayford. He tells the story to the reader. Although he isn’t present at all the events or the conversations he does know everything that’s happening.
Explain the title.
Cuckoos are birds who lay there eggs in other bird nests. Something similar has happened to Midwich. Midwich was the village that was shut off from the outside world for several days and where all women got inpregnated. The Children are meant by the cuckoos. They were also laid in someone others ‘nest’.
What is the theme in the story?
The central theme, I think, is fear for the unknown. Everybody in the story is afraid of what the Children can do. Nobody knows exactly what they are and where they came from. But they are here and that is frightening.
Is the story told chronologically or are there flash-backs or flash-forwards?
The story is written in 21 chapters. There is one big gap of nine years in the story which is indicated by a division into two parts. This is the only flashback. The rest of the story is written in a chronological order.
If a friend would like to read the book too, what would you tell her or him about it.
I would say that it is an funny book to read, although it has a bit of a slow start, but when you’re through the first pages it’s a fast reader. It contains a lot of conversations and if you are not fond about long conversations, you mustn’t read the book. Also the book Is a bit more realistic because it is written mostly is colloquial and sometimes a little regional, for example in the beginning of the book (page 10) an officer of the law says to Richard and his wife: “ ’Seein’ as you live there, ma’am, I’ll tell you – but it’s confidential like. ‘T isn’t no use tryin’, ma’am. Nobody can’t get into Midwich, an’ that’s a fact.’” I think this creates creates a bit of an atmosphere. The good description of the situation gives a good look at picture at how things are. The only thing about the story that, I think, is a bit negative, is that some things that are mentioned are repeated a lot and sometimes they go on bit to long about one certain subject.
But despite that it was a pleasant book to read.
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