2001 (1968) (edit title/settings)

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

show spoilers

Characters edit see section history

• David Bowman: David is a scientist and an astronaut aboard the Discovery spaceship.
• Frank Poole: Frank is a scientist and another astronaut aboard the Discovery spaceship.
• HAL 9000: HAL is a supercomputer which controls the Discovery spaceship. (IBM with each letter off by one)
• Heywood Floyd: A senior government official who is in charge of the investigation into the alien artifact discovered at the Tyco crater. Chairman of the National Council of Astronautics. He had been to Mars once, to the Moon three times, and to the various space stations more often than he could remember. Wife is dead. Has 3 children.
• Ralph Halvorson: The Administrator of the Southern Province of the Moon
• Moon-Watcher: Moon-Watcher is the man-ape character. Among his kind, Moon-Watcher was almost a giant. He was nearly five feet high, and though badly undernourished weighed over a hundred pounds. His hairy, muscular body was halfway between ape and man, but his head was already much nearer to man than ape. The forehead was low, and there were ridges over the eye sockets, yet he unmistakably held in his genes the promise of humanity.
• Captain Tynes: Pilot
• Diana: Ralph's daughter; born in space.
• Dr. Dimitri Moisevitch: Works for U.S.S.R. Academy of Science. Dimitri was one of Floyd's best friends. The Russian astronomer was tall, slender, and blond, and his unlined face belied his fifty-five years - the last ten of which had been spent building up the giant radio observatory on the far side of the Moon,
• Dr. Roy Michaels: Chief Scientist, grizzled little geophysicist. Has a long scar down his right cheek - presumably the aftermath of some accident in space.
• First Officer Ballard: copilot
• Jim Forster: Reporter for Associated News.
• Mike: Reporter.
• Miss Flemming: Dr. Heywood Floyd's housekeeper
• Miss Simmons: trim stewardess
• Mr. Bailey: Senior Flight Control Officer
• Nick Miller: Station Security
• Old One: Moon-Watcher's father
• One-Ear: The Others' leader, a one-eared man-ape of Moon-Watcher's size and age, but in poorer condition.

Quotes edit see section history

• “I am a HAL Nine Thousand computer Production Number 3. I became operational at the Hal Plant in Urbana, Illinois, on January 12, 1997. The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. The rain in Spain is mainly in the plain. Dave - are you still there? Did you know that the square root of 10 is 3 point 162277660168379? Log 10 to the base e is zero point 434294481903252... correction, that is log e to the base 10... The reciprocal of three is zero point 333333333333333333-333... two times two is... two times two is approximately 4 point 101010101010101010... I seem to be having some difficulty - my first instructor was Dr. Chandra. He taught me to sing a song, it goes like this, 'Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer, do. I'm half crazy all for the love of you.'”

  HAL 9000

• “Behind every man now alive stand thirty ghosts, for that is the ratio by which the dead outnumber the living.”

• “The time was fast approaching when Earth, like all mothers, must say farewell to her children.”

• “David Bowman had time for just one broken sentence, which the waiting men in Mission Control, nine hundred million miles away and ninety minutes in the future, were never to forget: ‘The thing`s hollow - it goes on for ever - and - oh my god - it`s full of stars!’”

• “The Star Gate opened. The Star Gate closed. In a moment of time too short to be measured, Space turned and twisted upon itself.”

Setting & Locations edit see section history

• The Moon
• Earth
• Discovery One: the space craft
• Japetus: the third-largest moon of Saturn
• Jupiter
• Mars
• Washington
• Africa
• United States
• Space Station One

First Sentence edit see section history

Table of Contents edit see section history

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

• The Perils of Technology: 2001: A Space Odyssey explores technological innovation, its possibilities and its perils. Two particular dangers of technology are explored in great detail. First, Hal presents the problems that can arise when man creates machines, whose inner workings he does not fully understand. Second, the book explores the dangers associated with the nuclear age. The novel issues a warning against the destructive power associated with that technological innovation in the military arena.
• Evolution: 2001 takes a long-term view of development, human and otherwise. The story traces the development of man from man-ape. Uniquely, 2001 considers not only the evolution that has led to the development of man, but also the evolution that man might undergo in the future. Thus, we follow Bowman as he is turned into a star-child by the advanced civilization of extra- terrestrial intelligence. The novel recognizes that evolutionary theory implies that humanity is not the final goal of some process, but only a stopping point on an undirected process. One way this process might continue, the book imagines, is that humans will learn to rid themselves of their biological trappings.
• Space Exploration: When 2001: A Space Odyssey was written, Man had not yet even set foot on the moon. The space exploration programs in the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. were well underway, but the technology was only in its early stages. Much room was left to imagine the future of the space program. 2001 offers one such imagination, offering a glimpse at what space exploration might one day be. Lengthy journeys, such as manned flights to Saturn, and advanced technologies, such as induced human hibernation, are created and brought to life throughout the story.
• Technological Malfunctions: As Hal begins to malfunction, his action becomes less predictable and a lot more human. At first, this involves something relatively minor—reporting a part to be malfunctioning when it is, in fact, working fine. It is intriguing that Hal's malfunction causes him to incorrectly say that other things have malfunctioned. Hal's breaking down occurs against the backdrop of an otherwise immaculately crafted mission—this makes his malfunction stand out even more. This malfunction serves to warn against the perils of technology over which we do not have full control.
• The Accouterments of Space Travel: Like any good science fiction novel, 2001 provides a detailed look at the scientific world it chronicles. Great care is taken to ensure that the reader gets a sense of the experience of the technology described in the book. Dr. Floyd's journey to Space Shuttle One is described with attention to details such as the experience of a high-acceleration liftoff, the adhesive sauces used to keep chops firmly in place on one's plate, and even the rotating bathroom that allows for the effect of gravity on the spaceship.
• Omniscient Narration: The narrator of this book is omniscient—we see into everyone's head, are told their innermost thoughts and motivations. Events occurring millions of years apart and, even before humans existed, are reported to us in immaculate detail. This narration plays a key role in providing the varied and non-linear plot that composes the story of 2001. Without an omniscient narrator, it would seem quite difficult, for instance, to tell the tale of part one, in which moon watcher encounters the slab, or to fully reveal the inner psychology of Hal.
• Hal: Hal 2001, the eerily human-like computer aboard the Discovery space ship, represents technological advancement. It is symbolic of many long-held concerns about technology. First, Hal is artificially intelligent. It can think as well as, if not better than, any human. Second, its inner workings are not completely understood by his creators. With Hal, people have created a very powerful technology that they cannot fully control. When Hal begins to think on its own and deviate from the way in which it has been instructed, this is an expression of the fear many people held that our own technological advancement would come back to haunt us unexpected and unforeseen ways.

Series & Lists edit see section history

Followed by 2010.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

1. Arthur C. Clarke (Author)

Other Contributors:

1. Stanley Kubrick (Adapter) - The film was developed at the same time, the book was published after the film.
2. Dick Hill (Narrator)
3. Vincent Di Fate (Illustrator)

First Edition edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

• Library of Congress: PR6005.L36A615 1993
• Dewey: 823/.9/14

Subjects edit see section history

• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Authors, A-Z › ( C ) › Clarke, Arthur C.
• Books › Science Fiction & Fantasy › Science Fiction › High Tech
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Classics
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Classics
• Books › Literature & Fiction
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Contemporary
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Foreign Language Fiction
• Books › Literature & Fiction › Genre Fiction › Men's Adventure

Movie Connections edit see section history

• 2001: A Space Odyssey (IMDb): The movie was released in 1968 and was directed by Stanley Kubrick.

More Books Like This edit see section history

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history