The Master Key

Lyman Frank BaumBowen-Merrill1901

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Chapters
21
ISBN
9781775451976

Tags

Foreign Language Books English Originals Fantasy LiteratureElectrical ExperimentsEnglish OriginalClassical FantasyAmerican LiteratureBoyhood AdventureYouth Reading

Summary

The Master Key: An Electrical Fairy Tale, Founded Upon the Mysteries of Electricity and the Optimism of Its Devotees (1901) is a juvenile adventure fantasy novel by L. Frank Baum, author of The Wizard of Oz, illustrated by F. Y. Cory. The protagonist, Rob Joslyn, is a boy obsessed with electrical experiments; his father supports his hobby, and the house is soon full of wires and electric bells. One day, trying to light a cardboard house, he wires something haphazardly and a flash of light appears: a being calling himself the Demon of Electricity tells Rob he has inadvertently touched the Master Key of Electricity and is therefore entitled to three gifts a week for three consecutive weeks. Rob does not know what to ask for, so the Demon chooses for him. The first week brings food pills that provide a full day's nourishment, an electric tube that puts a person to sleep for an hour, and a flying machine the size of a wristwatch. The second week brings a garment proof against weapons, a "Record of Events" that can view the day's important happenings around the world at close range, and "Character Markers"—glasses that, when worn, show letters of character on others' foreheads. The third week brings an electromagnetic restorer that can cure all diseases and even revive the newly dead, and an infinite communicator that can speak with any corner of the world. After adventures on an island, a pirate ship, in a royal court, and on a battlefield, Rob comes to realize humanity is not yet ready to wield these powers, and ultimately chooses to refuse them, asking the Demon to wait until the day humanity truly knows how to use them. The book's core imagination is "technology arriving too early," and it also bears the marks of the early twentieth century; some passages involving colonial and racial descriptions were abridged in later reprints.

Editor's review

多数读者认识 L. Frank Baum 都因为《绿野仙踪》，而《The Master Key》展示了他另一副面貌：一位对新兴电力时代既兴奋又清醒的讲故事人。1901 年，电灯、电话、无线电还是令人目眩的新事物，Baum 却已经把这些技术推到它们的逻辑尽头，让一个男孩在三周之内提前过上“未来生活”。小说结构干净利落：三周、九件礼物、一条从好奇到克制的成长线。每一件发明都对应一种人类欲望——不劳而食、绝对防御、无所不知、窥探人心、战胜死亡——而罗布最终的选择，使这本书在百年后读起来仍像一则关于技术伦理的寓言。作为英文原著读物，它的句子平实、章节短小、对话驱动，适合作为从儿童文学过渡到长篇阅读的练习材料；插图中的机械装置与飞行器也颇具时代趣味。需要提醒的是，书中涉及“食人岛”等情节带有明显的殖民时代偏见，1997 年 Books of Wonder 版等重印本已作删节，阅读时不妨把它当作观察百年前美国通俗文学观念的一份样本。

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Reading tips

  1. 按“一周三件礼物”的节奏分组阅读，每读完一周停下来想想：如果礼物给你，你会怎么用。
  2. 遇到飞行器、通讯器等装置描写时，可对照 1901 年的真实科技水平，体会作者的“提前量”。
  3. 留意罗布从兴奋到拒绝的心理变化，这是他真正的成长线，也是全书的主旨所在。
  4. 若读的是未删节旧版，碰到“食人岛”等章节可结合殖民时代背景批判性阅读，不必当作价值判断。

About the publisher

Bowen-Merrill

Bowen-Merrill is an established publisher whose output is oriented toward popular literature and children's books. At present, only one title is held in our database, and publicly available information is limited, so its country or region and year of founding cannot be confirmed. Judging from the existing catalogue, the publisher is associated with the author Lyman Frank Baum, whose work The Master Key is included. The book falls under the categories of original editions and English-language originals, reflecting the publisher's attention to classic English works. Owing to limited data, its series system, scale of author resources, and publishing characteristics cannot yet be fully presented; only from this single title can we infer that it took part in publishing and disseminating English literary works.

Contents

  1. Who Knows?
  2. 1 Rob's Workshop
  3. 2 The Demon of Electricity
  4. 3 The Three Gifts
  5. 4 Testing the Instruments
  6. 5 The Cannibal Island
  7. 6 The Buccaneers
  8. 7 The Demon Becomes Angry
  9. 8 Rob Acquires New Powers
  10. 9 The Second Journey
  11. 10 How Rob Served a Mighty King
  12. 11 The Man of Science
  13. 12 How Rob Saved a Republic
  14. 13 Rob Loses His Treasures
  15. 14 Turk and Tatar
  16. 15 A Battle with Monsters
  17. 16 Shipwrecked Mariners
  18. 17 The Coast of Oregon
  19. 18 A Narrow Escape
  20. 19 Rob Makes a Resolution
  21. 20 The Unhappy Fate of the Demon

FAQ

这本书和《绿野仙踪》是同一个作者吗？ 是的，作者都是 L. Frank Baum。《The Master Key》出版于 1901 年，晚于《绿野仙踪》一年，属于他 Oz 系列之外的独立少年幻想小说，风格更偏“电气童话”。
这本书有中文译本吗？ 目前可查到的中文版本信息很少，流通较广的多为英文原版与公版电子书。若你看到的是合集里的英文原文，那属于公版重印，而非中文译本。
适合多大的孩子读？ 英文原文难度大致相当于中级章节书，词汇不算艰深但篇幅较长，适合有一定英文阅读积累的中高年级学生；年龄较小的孩子可先从删节版或亲子共读开始。
为什么有的版本篇幅不一样？ 原书部分章节涉及对非洲族群的歧视性描写，1997 年 Books of Wonder 等重印本对此作了删节，因此不同版本在文字与章数上可能略有差异。

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About the author

Lyman Frank Baum Author

Lyman Frank Baum is a children's literature author included in this Chinese book database. Public information about him is limited, and his nationality and dates of birth and death are currently unknown. The database holds three of his works: Sky Island, The Enchanted Island of Yew, and A Kidnapped Santa Claus, often categorized under inspirational growth. These works show that he excelled at building imaginative fantasy worlds set on strange islands and filled with magic and adventure. The plots are lively and fairy-tale-like, and through the characters' journeys and choices he often conveys themes of courage, kindness, and growth. A Kidnapped Santa Claus draws on holiday legend and is humorous in tone, suitable for young readers. Although reliable information about his life is scarce, the fantasy style and spirit of growth in his works still offer readers a sense of his writing.