Author
Clare Winger Harris
1891-1968
Clare Winger Harris (1891-1968) is a public-domain author available on Rivro. Read free books, explore subjects, and discover related classics.
WikipediaBooks by Clare Winger Harris
Persephone of Eleusis: A Romance of Ancient Greece
"Persephone of Eleusis: A Romance of Ancient Greece" by Clare Winger Harris is a historical novel written in the early 20th century. The story unfolds in the backdrop of the fifth century B.C. during the Persian Wars, focusing on the conflict between the Greeks and the Persian Empire. The plot centers on Zopyrus, a young Persian officer navigating themes of identity, loyalty, and cultural heritage, as he becomes embroiled in the turmoil surrounding the battle of Thermopylae and its aftermath. The opening chapter introduces Zopyrus against the stunning scenery of Greece, highlighting his internal conflict stemming from his mixed heritage—being of Persian birth yet bearing Greek maternal lineage. As the narrative unfolds, Zopyrus encounters moments of reflective admiration for Greece's beauty while grappling with the brutality of war. His interactions with other characters, such as the large Persian officer Masistius, hint at the complicated dynamics of duty and camaraderie within the Persian ranks. The chapter sets the stage for the impending battle while foreshadowing Zopyrus' struggle with his identity as he faces the challenges posed by both his lineage and the larger conflict at hand.
The artificial man
The artificial man by Clare Winger Harris is a science fiction short story written in the early 20th century. It examines the boundary between mind and body through radical prosthetics, asking whether identity survives when the flesh is replaced and warning how obsession can corrupt character. Promising student-athlete George Gregory loses a leg in a game and, shaken in spirit, begins to equate physical loss with a loss of soul. After a later car crash takes an arm and damages his organs, he adopts artificial limbs and an artificial kidney, grows embittered, and turns against his fiancée Rosalind and his former friend, surgeon David Bell, whom she eventually marries. Determined to prove identity can persist on a “minimum” of flesh, George submits to multiple operations until he becomes a mechanized being with detachable limbs and a chest control board powering his movements. He returns to murder David, but the young interne Lucius Stevens and police break in; realizing the machine-man’s weakness lies in the control panel and his right hand, they disable him. Dying, George repents, admitting it was his mind—not his injuries—that doomed him, and the tale closes as a caution against letting despair and pride overpower the will to heal.