Stranger in a Strange Land
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What is 'Stranger in a Strange Land'?
Stranger in a Strange Land, a science fiction novel by Robert Heinlein, tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, a man raised on Mars who comes to Earth and struggles with its culture. Upon his return, Smith finds Earth culture alien and terrifying.
Through Jubal Harshaw, Smith learns about human culture and creates the Church of All Worlds, based on Martian philosophy with ideals of peace and free love. The book critiques politics, religion, and sexual behavior, and it became the first science fiction novel on The New York Times Best Seller list. Stranger in a Strange Land is considered a counterculture icon and Heinlein's masterpiece. The book is also the origin of the word "grok," which means to understand profoundly.
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Who wrote 'Stranger in a Strange Land' and when was it published?
Stranger in a Strange Land, a science fiction novel exploring themes of culture, religion, and sexuality, was written by Robert A. Heinlein and published in 1961. The novel follows Valentine Michael Smith, who was born in space and raised on Mars, as he comes to Earth and questions the customs of society. Stranger in a Strange Land was an almost instant success and is considered Heinlein's masterpiece. It was also the first science fiction novel to appear on The New York Times Book Review's bestseller list.
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What is the basic plot of 'Stranger in a Strange Land'?
Stranger in a Strange Land tells the story of Valentine Michael Smith, who was born on Mars and raised by Martians. He arrives on Earth at age 25 and finds its culture alien and terrifying.
With the help of nurse Jill Boardman and Jubal Harshaw, a father figure, Mike learns about human culture. Using his inheritance, he founds the Church of All Worlds, based on Martian philosophy with nudity, communal living, free love, and peace. The church embraces counterculture ideals, but Mike is killed by a rival church's members. The book implies that Mike becomes an archangel in the afterlife.
The novel critiques politics and religion and discusses sexuality. Heinlein also coined the word "grok," which means "to understand profoundly and intuitively".
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Who is the main character in the novel and where is he from?
The main character in Robert A. Heinlein's novel Stranger in a Strange Land is Valentine Michael Smith. Born on Mars to human parents, who were members of the first Earth expedition, he is the sole survivor and is raised by Martians. When a second expedition arrives, Smith, around 25 years old, returns with them to Earth. To him, Earth is an alien and often terrifying culture, hence the title, "stranger in a strange land".
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What are some major themes in 'Stranger in a Strange Land'?
Stranger in a Strange Land, a science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, explores themes of counterculture, religion, and societal norms. The story revolves around Valentine Michael Smith, a human raised on Mars who arrives on Earth and questions the customs related to sex, death, religion, and money.
Smith's experiences lead him to establish the Church of All Worlds, promoting open sexuality and rejecting conformity, thus creating a countercultural movement. The novel challenges contemporary religious and cultural structures, as reflected in its original title, The Heretic. Stranger in a Strange Land became an icon of the 1960s counterculture and was recognized by the Library of Congress as a "Book That Shaped America". The book also popularized the word "grok," which means to understand something deeply.
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How has 'Stranger in a Strange Land' influenced science fiction and popular culture?
Robert Heinlein's novel, Stranger in a Strange Land, has had a notable influence on science fiction and popular culture, particularly for its countercultural themes and introduction of the word "grok." The book follows Valentine Michael Smith, who was raised on Mars, as he navigates a vastly different Earth society, exploring themes of sexual freedom and rejection of conformity.
The novel, named a "Book That Shaped America" by the Library of Congress in 2012, critiques politics and religion, which resonated with the counterculture of the 1960s. Heinlein's concept of an outsider challenging societal norms influenced later science fiction. The term "grok," meaning "to understand profoundly and intuitively," which originated in the novel, was quickly adopted into American youth culture and is now found in English dictionaries.
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Stranger in a Strange Land, classic science fiction novel by American writer Robert A. Heinlein, published in 1961. The work centres on a human raised on Mars who comes to Earth and challenges customs relating to sex, death, religion, and money. The book became an icon of the 1960s counterculture, and it won the prestigious Hugo Award for best novel in 1962.
Summary
Valentine Michael (āMikeā) Smith was born on Mars to two members of the first expedition from Earth. The only survivor of the expedition, he was raised by Martians. When he is about 25 years old, a second expedition arrives, and he returns with them to Earth, which has endured a third world war. The world is now ruled by the Federation High Council, and organized religions wield incredible power. Although Mike is technically an Earthling, Earth is an entirely alien culture to him, and it is often terrifying; he truly is a āstranger in a strange land.ā He is taken to Bethesda Medical Center in the United States, where his body adjusts to life on Earth. Nurse Gillian (āJillā) Boardman, the first woman Mike has ever seen, fears that the government might harm Mike, who has an ownership claim to Mars. She helps him escape, and they are pursued by two men whom Mike makes disappear. Jill and Mike take refuge at the home of Jubal Harshawāwho is described as a ābon vivant, gourmet, sybarite, popular author extraordinary, and neo-pessimist philosopherāāand he becomes a father figure to Mike.
After learning about human culture, and with the money inherited from funds tied to the first exploration to Mars, Mike decides to create a religion, the Church of All Worlds. It is based on his own brand of Martian philosophy, which involves nudity, communal living, copious free love, and a message of peaceātenets of the hippie movement of the late 1960s. In the end, Mike is attacked and killed by members of a rival church, but he lives on as an archangel in the afterlife.
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Publication and reception
Stranger in a Strange Land contains numerous critiques of politics and organized religion and freely discusses sexual behaviour. Some of those passages were considered shocking for the time, and a number were deleted when the publisher requested that the book be cut by about 60,000 words. The unexpurgated version was released by Heinleinās widow in 1991, three years after the authorās death.
Although panned by some critics, the novel was almost an immediate success upon its initial publication in 1961, and it is considered Heinleinās masterpiece. It was the first work of science fiction to make The New York Times Book Reviewās best-seller list. Heinleinās coining of the word grokāmeaning literally āto drinkā but more broadly āto understand profoundly and intuitivelyāāwas later incorporated into English-language dictionaries.