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''Canopus in Argos: Archives'' is a sequence of five science fiction novels by Nobel Prize in Literature-winning author Doris Lessing which portray a number of societies at different stages of development, over a great period of time. The focus is on accelerated evolution being aided by advanced species for less advanced species and societies. The novels take place in the same future history, but do not relate a continuous storyline. Each book covers unrelated events, with the exception of ''Shikasta'' and ''The Sirian Experiments'', which tell the story of accelerated evolution on Earth through the eyes of Canopeans and Sirians respectively. ==Novels== #''Shikasta'' (1979) – A secret history of Earth from the perspective of the advanced Canopus civilisation that is thinking in eons rather than centuries. The history spans from the very beginning of life into our own future. The book ends with a metaphorical telling of the trial of Socrates. #''The Marriages Between Zones Three, Four and Five'' (1980) – Depicts the influence of unknown higher powers on interactions between a series of civilizational "zones" of varying degrees of advancement that encircle the planet Earth. One zone is representative of an overtly feminine high civilisation initially coupled by royal marriage to a militant and male civilisation. The novel culminates with the latter, male, civilisation allying with a tribal female realm again following directives from Canopus. #''The Sirian Experiments'' (1980) – Focuses, like ''Shikasta'', on the history of Earth, but from the perspective of visitors from Sirius rather than Canopus. The Sirians are depicted as a highly managed society, with fascist overtones, that attempts experiments on lesser civilisations while trying to mitigate the stagnation of their ruling class. The story is told from the perspective of Ambien II, one of a peer group of five who rule Sirius. #''The Making of the Representative for Planet 8'' (1982) – The story of the civilisation on a planet that, because of interstellar "re-alignments", is slowly facing extinction, and Canopus's relationship with them. The story is greatly influenced by Robert Falcon Scott's Antarctic expedition, and is Lessing's homage to it. #''The Sentimental Agents in the Volyen Empire'' (1983) – A story of Canopean agents on a less advanced planet; explores hazards of rhetoric and mirrors events in revolutionary societies such as Communist Russia. The five books have also appeared compiled in a single volume entitled ''Canopus in Argos: Archives'' (1992, ISBN 0-679-74184-4). 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア(Wikipedia)』 ■ウィキペディアで「Canopus in Argos」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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