# Arthur C. Clarke short story question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062 "2010-08-03T21:53:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/1 "2010-08-03T21:53:25Z")
Click here [[link removed]] to read the short story if you don’t want to be spoiled, although it was written in 1949… …anyway, the big surprise in the story “History Lesson” is the revelation that the historical documents that the Venusians were watching turned out to be a Disney cartoon. My question is: did Clarke have a specific cartoon in mind, or was he just describing a cartoon in general? Here’s the relevant passages: > [@](#): > > The creature possessed two eyes, set rather close together, but the other facial adornments were a little obscure. There was a large orifice in the lower portion of the head that was continually opening and closing. Possibly it had something to do with the creature’s breathing. > > The scientists watched spellbound as the strange being became involved in a series of fantastic adventures. There was an incredibly violent conflict with another, slightly different creature. It seemed certain that they must both be killed, but when it was all over neither seemed any the worse. > > Then came a furious drive over miles of country in a four wheeled mechanical device which was capable of extraordinary feats of locomotion. The ride ended in a city packed with other vehicles moving in all directions at breathtaking speeds. No one was surprised to see two of the machines meet head-on with devastating results. > > After that, events became even more complicated. It was now quite obvious that it would take many years of research to analyze and understand all that was happening. It was also clear that the record was a work of art, somewhat stylized, rather than an exact reproduction of life as it actually had been on the Third Planet. > > Most of the scientists felt themselves completely dazed when the sequence of pictures came to an end. There was a final flurry of motion, in which the creature that had been the center of interest became involved in some tremendous but incomprehensible catastrophe. The picture contracted to a circle, centered on the creature’s head. > > The last scene of all was an expanded view of its face, obviously expressing some powerful emotion. But whether it was rage, grief, defiance, resignation or some other feeling could not be guessed. The picture vanished. For a moment some lettering appeared on the screen, then it was all over. Ring a bell for anyone? ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/2 "2010-08-03T22:58:27Z")
I remember the story, but I don’t know if he was relating a specific cartoon. I’ve always assumed it was generic. EDIT: Oh – I was always more of a Warner Bros. fan than a Disney fan. . ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/3 "2010-08-03T23:06:39Z")
I always assumed a simply generic cartoon or maybe a mishmash of memorable scenes of actual Disney cartoons (I can almost picture the car ride scene). Back in those days before Youtube or even video tape, I’m not sure how easy it would have been for Clarke to capture an exact Disney cartoon in that short story…surely perhaps not worth the effort given the construct of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/4 "2010-08-03T23:28:43Z")
Note that the character in the cartoon is supposed to be Donald Duck. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2010, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/5 "2010-08-03T23:43:14Z")
The link in the OP is to the full story, “History Lesson.” The story is still under copyright and I’ll bet anything that the Russian whose site it is never applied for permission to reprint it. This is simply a pirate site, no matter what else it contains. If you see a full science fiction story online, in a place that is obviously not an author’s site, it is illegal. I’ve reported it because I think the link should be removed. But I don’t care what the policy is here. There was no need to link to a pirated copy of the story. Wikipedia has an article on it that contains information about it, sufficient to make the point. And that would have been entirely legal and not an insult to Clarke. ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/6 "2010-08-04T00:08:16Z")
That’s my bad. I had no idea a story that old would still be in copyright. Mods, please remove link. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/7 "2010-08-04T00:37:59Z")
> [@](#): > > That’s my bad. I had no idea a story that old would still be in copyright. Mods, please remove link. Anything from before 1923 is public domain, but most things since then are still under copyright. That incidentally includes all of Disney’s cartoons (the copyright law was changed shortly before _Steamboat Willy_, the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, would have gone public). ---
**Author:** ![Clark\_K](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c77e96/32.png) [@Clark\_K](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clark_K)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/8 "2010-08-04T04:03:56Z")
What indicates that the movie is a cartoon, let alone one with Donald Duck? I’ve always pictured it as a silent movie – Keystone Kops or Charlie Chaplin or something. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 4:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/9 "2010-08-04T04:07:40Z")
> [@Clark\_K](#): > > What indicates that the movie is a cartoon, let alone one with Donald Duck? I’ve always pictured it as a silent movie – \*\*Keystone Kops or Charlie Chaplin \*\*or something. The story ends with the words on the screen-A Walt Disney Production. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/10 "2010-08-04T04:11:38Z")
And the story was written at a time when Disney had never done a full live-action movie. It was known only for cartoons. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/11 "2010-08-04T04:22:01Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > That’s my bad. I had no idea a story that old would still be in copyright. Mods, please remove link. Done. For the record we usually don’t break links to copyrighted material, we just make sure it isn’t posted here. But since you’re not comfortable supporting the other site’s copyright violation I’m happy to oblige. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/12 "2010-08-04T04:23:09Z")
**Morbo** , didn’t you like the answers you got to this question three years ago?: [What Disney cartoon was Arthur C. Clarke referring to in this short story? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=403695) ---
**Author:** ![Eutychus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Eutychus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eutychus)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/13 "2010-08-04T11:07:58Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > **Morbo** , didn’t you like the answers you got to this question three years ago?: [What Disney cartoon was Arthur C. Clarke referring to in this short story? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=403695) I was about to answer this but then, I thought it looked familiar … ---
**Author:** ![Morbo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/morbo/32/389_2.png) [@Morbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morbo)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/14 "2010-08-04T17:39:17Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > **Morbo** , didn’t you like the answers you got to this question three years ago?: [What Disney cartoon was Arthur C. Clarke referring to in this short story? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=403695) Whoa. That’s…I mean I don’t…remember…uh…wow. Has anyone seen my glasses? ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/15 "2010-08-04T17:43:06Z")
I note that in the linked thread, on post #2 **ArchiveGuy** links to the story as well. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/arthur-c-clarke-short-story-question/549062/16 "2010-08-04T17:45:43Z")
> [@Morbo](#): > > > [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > > > **Morbo** , didn’t you like the answers you got to this question three years ago?: [What Disney cartoon was Arthur C. Clarke referring to in this short story? - Cafe Society - Straight Dope Message Board](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=403695) > > Whoa. That’s…I mean I don’t…remember…uh…wow. > > Has anyone seen my glasses? Don’t worry about it - [you’re](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=208435) not the [only one](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=303484) to do this. 🙂 Hell, I even used the exact same title. I’m too embarrassed to see how closely the OP’s were worded. :o