AN AUTOMATIC ENIGMA (1872, 1878) – ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION

AN AUTOMATIC ENIGMA (1878) – By Julian Hawthorne, son of Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the past Balladeer’s Blog has reviewed some of Julian’s horror stories, but this time around it’s a sci-fi tale. An Automatic Enigma first appeared under the title The Mullenville Mystery in 1872 before Hawthorne revised it and had it published in 1878 under the new title.

In Mullenville, a traveler named Ned Holland charms Nellie Swansdowne, who is considered the greatest beauty in the area. After a time, Nellie accuses Ned of acting too machine-like, provoking a fierce argument and a breakup.

Months down the road, a stage act called the Dutch Automaton hits Mullenville. Nellie Swansdowne and her new beau Asa attend a performance. The automaton impresses the audience with its ability to carry out human tasks.

At one point Nellie catches the eye of the Dutch Automaton, which throws a bouquet of flowers to her from the stage. After the performance, when Asa and Nellie are on their way home, an unusual coach overtakes them.

The automaton emerges from the coach and approaches Nellie. Asa is physically overcome by the seeming android, which then departs with Nellie in the unusual coach. Miss Swansdowne is never seen again.

The people of Mullenville speculate on what it all means. Was Ned Holland (as in Ned “Dutch”) the automaton all along? Was the stage act of the Dutch Automaton a hoax with a human Ned Holland disguised as a machine-man?

Julian Hawthorne even includes the possibility that Nellie and the figure from the mysterious coach – be it man or android – married and lived happily.

An oddity of a story. Ned’s appeal to Nellie being superior to that of actual human males like Asa is an echo of sorts to Julian’s father’s tale Feathertop, about a scarecrow animated by a witch. The now-living Feathertop lacked the gauche shortcomings of men and won the heart of a much sought after young lady, but his lack of humanity made him too noble to go through with the charade, infuriating the witch. 

In the case of An Automatic Enigma, Julian doesn’t quite make Ned/ The Dutch Automaton clearly preferrable to Asa, so it’s not certain if Nellie will be happy with it/ him. There are also elements regarding T.H. Huxley’s speculation on whether automatons would have a soul and if animals should count as mere automatons if they are soulless.

Sad to say, this makes the short story typical Julian Hawthorne. Never quite living up to his father and often ending up with only half-formed ideas. 

FOR WASHINGTON IRVING’S 1809 depiction of an invasion from the moon click here:   https://glitternight.com/2014/05/05/ancient-science-fiction-the-men-of-the-moon-1809-by-washington-irving/

FOR TEN MORE EXAMPLES OF ANCIENT SCIENCE FICTION CLICK HERE:   https://glitternight.com/2014/03/03/ten-neglected-examples-of-ancient-science-fiction/