Classic Sci-Fi: Should You Read It? is a self-imposed project in which I read pre-1990 science fiction novels and categorize them as “classis sci-fi you should read,” “classic sci-fi you should read if you’re all hardcore about it,” or “classic sci-fi you don’t have to read.” For background on my project, please see the introduction to my review of 1984.
Metropolis was written by Thea von Harbou in 1923 in Germany in conjunction with the screenplay for the silent movie by her husband Fritz Lang, which makes this a pretty unique addition to classic sci-fi literature regardless of the content. Reading a book this old is a little like watching an old movie: the pacing is weird, there are entire scenes that are either barely related, super weird, and/or self-indulgent, and it badly needs an editor. The events of the story vary wildly between weird and boring (there are several symbolic dream sequences) and fuckin rad (Frankenstein-like lab creature wages war on city!).
Basic Synopsis of Important Parts
Set in 2026, Metropolis is a futuristic city with severe socio-economic class divisions: the ruling class lives above ground in luxury and the working class lives below ground and operates the machines that run the city. The action is focused largely on Freder, the son of the powerful city master, and Maria, a working-class girl who advocates for systemic change. These two fall in love after Maria forces Freder to confront the economic disparities, and Freder vows to become the mediator between the working class and ruling class.
MEANWHILE, Freder’s dad Joh Frederson enlists the help of Metropolis’ mad scientist Rotwang to use his hobby of creating lifelike female robots (just go with it) to replace Maria to disrupt and discredit the change movement. They kidnap Maria and copy her onto a robot. EPIC. Little does Frederson know that Rotwang intends to use Robot Maria to destroy the city because he’s vowed revenge on Frederson because once upon a time Frederson stole Rotwang’s girlfriend, Hel, who died after giving birth to Freder. WHEW.
So while real, good Maria was gently encouraging the working class to care for each other and unionize, Parody a.k.a. Evil Robot Maria takes it a step too far with destruction, violence, and anarchy. The workers rise up and storm the city, destroying machines. While all the adults are above ground raising hell, the children (and real, good Maria, who has escaped the mad scientist) are endangered by a flooding underground. Maria and Freder save the children, but the parents, believing them to be drowned, turn on both the Marias. LUCKILY good Maria escapes and the mob grabs Parody, whose evil but wicked-cool robot self is revealed when her human parts burn away at a stake execution. METAL. Instead of rising up for an epic last stand, Evil Robot Maria kind of just horrifies people with the newfound knowledge that they’ve been incited to violence by a body double. Now Freder and Rotwang are fighting over real Maria on the roof of the cathedral because Rotwang thinks he’s dead, they’re in the afterlife, and she’s his long-lost Hel! Maria and Freder overpower him and he falls to his death. Frederson, faced with the endangerment of his own kid, figures out that he should be kind to other people. Our heroes plan to rebuild a more equitable city.
Pros and Cons
It looks like von Harbou was the main author of both the novel and the screenplay, but you’d almost swear Metropolis was written by Lang or some other dude. Lots of Madonna/virgin/mother imagery vs. “whore of Babylon” imagery, lots of women inspiring men to action or revenge or violence or their better selves. Freder’s mother apparently died of being too gentle a soul for Freder’s father, but was happy about it in the end because she saw him have an emotion. OKAY. Lots of religious imagery in general, and a strong good and evil binary. I think the only person in the novel with a substantive character ach is Frederson—everyone else is largely either wholly good or wholly evil the entire time.
On the civil disobedience: I’ve gotta say this has been on my mind in light of the student protests against the war in Gaza, especially last week after overhearing my coworkers only have any idea that protests were happening because students were being arrested for destroying property. They asked each other if they remembered the protests “a few years ago” (they mean the George Floyd and Briana Taylor protests) that they were only aware of because they disrupted traffic for days. “Oh but they’re such peaceful protests!” said my coworkers sarcastically, preferring protests that do not impact their lives or draw their notice at all, I suppose.
Metropolis seems to support socialism, unionization, and civil disobedience, but only to a point. Real, good Maria is highly idealized and we are meant to approve of her and her approach to peace, and Evil Robot Maria and her destructive approach to injustice are highly condemned. On the other hand, the violence that the automaton inspires is absolutely the motive for change in the city, even though everyone involved seems to regret it. The end of the version I read included a quote tacked on after publication: “making non-violent revolution impossible makes violent revolution inevitable,” which seems to contradict the book’s message. I wish I knew more about this good-and-evil binary choice: maybe the movie needed a tidy contrast to tie the story together. I definitely might be missing some pro-socialist nuance that existed in 1920’s Germany—apparently social justice was deemed nationalistic. Maybe it’s simply the same ongoing bias against disruptive protests.
Verdict
I think an edited version of Metropolis might be a must-read, but it has enough meandering weirdness in the book and in the film to knock it down a notch. On the other hand, the Maschinenmensch is so iconic, and humanoid androids such a holy pillar of sci-fi that I really want to call this a must-read. I love that this book was written 100 years ago and imagines a city 100 years in the future as a mixture of bonkers technology, old technology that they couldn’t imagine away, and at least somewhat accurate social issues. I think all of this comes together for a read if you’re all hardcore verdict, but let me hear your thoughts.