The Coffin Cure

Nourse, Alan Edward, 1928-1992Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 32K words
Chapters: 4

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Coffin Cure by Alan Edward NourseAuthor: Nourse, Alan Edward, 1928-1992,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 14, 2008

Editor's review

The Coffin Cure is another public-domain science fiction short story by Nourse released through Project Gutenberg. The title itself carries a strain of black humor: a treatment called the "coffin cure" is named in a way that hints at the blurred line between cure and death. Nourse's identity as a physician gives this kind of material unusual texture; he excels at pushing medical concepts to extremes and then using those extremes to reflect on real-world recklessness and conformity. The story moves at a tight pace, with the premise up front, and has the "concept—twist" structure common to Golden Age science fiction—a light read, but the aftertaste is not light. As a free electronic text, it serves as an entry point to early science fiction medical themes and also works well read alongside other short stories by the same author to appreciate his recurring professional concerns. The English original is limited in length; one reading yields the complete experience.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in medical science fiction and stories of technological irony
Beginners who want to understand Golden Age science fiction narrative conventions through short stories
Teachers and students needing public-domain English short stories as teaching or reading material
Readers who enjoy black humor and conceptual twists and don't mind short length

Not a good fit for

Hard science fiction readers expecting rigorous medical setups and long-range extrapolation
Readers not used to the English original who want to read a Chinese translation directly
Readers uninterested in the relatively direct narrative techniques of early science fiction

Reading tips

Before reading, think about what it means to place "coffin" and "cure" together in the title, then check after reading whether it holds up.
Note how the story uses a medical technology to prompt observation of human weaknesses, rather than focusing only on the setup itself.
Read alongside the same author's Letter of the Law to compare the similarities and differences in their concerns with institutions and ethics.
After reading, try writing two or three sentences summarizing the twist to check whether you have grasped the author's real target of satire.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What does the title "The Coffin Cure" mean?

The title places "coffin" and "cure" side by side, which is itself ironic. The specific meaning unfolds with the plot during reading; it is best not to look at spoiler-style interpretations first, so as to preserve the pleasure of the twist.

Is this story related to the author's other works?

According to the Project Gutenberg entry, this story and Letter of the Law are both public-domain short stories by Nourse released in the same ebook project. The two differ in subject, but both show the author's sustained attention to technology, institutions, and the human situation, making them suitable for reading together.

Is the electronic edition free?

According to the entry information, this book is released by Project Gutenberg. The project is known for providing free ebooks, and readers can obtain public-domain texts on its platform; specific access methods and terms of use are subject to its official explanations.

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About the author

Nourse, Alan Edward, 1928-1992 Author

Alan Edward Nourse (1928-1992) is a science fiction author with 24 works held in this collection, though public information about him is limited and biographical details remain to be filled in. Judging from the available titles, he wrote both novels and short stories, often centering on space exploration, medical ethics, and the risks of technology: titles such as Star Surgeon and Brightside Crossing suggest an interest in the intersection of interstellar travel and surgery, while An Ounce of Cure, Consignment, and Marley's Chain reveal a cool scrutiny of technological consequences. He was skilled at carrying speculation through tight plotting, placing ordinary people in extreme situations and using professional detail to heighten realism. Some short pieces, such as Meeting of the Board, adopt a satirical tone, showing that his style was not monolithic. His work had some influence among mid-twentieth-century English-language science fiction readers, but details of awards and sales cannot be verified and are therefore not speculated upon.