"The Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World" is a

science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction. It can typically be read in a single sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the old ...

by American writer

Philip José Farmer Philip José Farmer (January 26, 1918 – February 25, 2009) was an American author known for his science fiction and fantasy fiction, fantasy novels and short story, short stories. Obituary. Farmer is best known for two sequences of novels, t ...

, first published in

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (Solar eclipse of February 25, 1971, February 25, Solar eclipse of July 22, 1971, July 22 and Solar eclipse of August 20, 1971, August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 1971 lunar eclip ...

in ''New Dimensions 1: Fourteen Original Science Fiction Stories.'' The story later formed the basis for Farmer's '' Dayworld'' trilogy of novels.Mary Turzillo Brizzi (1988) ''Science fiction & fantasy book review annual'', Greenwood Publishing Group, p171

Synopsis

Due to extreme

overpopulation Overpopulation or overabundance is a state in which the population of a species is larger than the carrying capacity of its environment. This may be caused by increased birth rates, lowered mortality rates, reduced predation or large scale migr ...

of Earth, citizens in the year 2055 are constrained to "stoners" – cylinders that suspend all

atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...

ic and

subatomic In physics, a subatomic particle is a particle smaller than an atom. According to the Standard Model of particle physics, a subatomic particle can be either a composite particle, which is composed of other particles (for example, a baryon, like ...

activity in the body – for

every day of the week "Every Day of the Week" is a song by American R&B group Jade, released in September 1994 by Giant Records as the second and final single from their second studio album, '' Mind, Body & Song'' (1994). The song is written by Antonina Armato, Ken ...

, except for the one to which they are allocated. Tom Pym only experiences Tuesdays, but yearns to contact a beautiful woman, Jennie Marlowe, who awakens only on Wednesdays. He leaves Jennie an audio message, but she responds with the suggestion that he forget about her. To be with Jennie, Tom attempts to have his allocated day changed to Wednesday, but significant government bureaucracy is involved. An influential

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry. Psychiatrists are physicians who evaluate patients to determine whether their symptoms are the result of a physical illness, a combination of physical and mental ailments or strictly ...

, Doctor Traurig, after viewing Jennie's cylinder, agrees that Tom's life would be better on Wednesday, and pushes through his application. However, Tom awakens on Wednesday to find that Jennie's cylinder is missing; she has, in exchange, been relocated to Tuesday.Philip José Farmer (1975) "The Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World," ''Social Problems Through Science Fiction,'' ed. Greenberg M.H., Milstead J..W, Olander J.D., and Warrick, P., New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, p23-36

Reception

Both

Terry Carr Terry Gene Carr (February 19, 1937 – April 7, 1987) was an American science fiction fan, author, editor, and writing instructor. Background and discovery of fandom Carr was born in Grants Pass, Oregon. He attended the City College of S ...

and

Lester del Rey Lester del Rey (June 2, 1915 – May 10, 1993) was an American science fiction author and editor. He was the author of many books in the juvenile Winston Science Fiction series, and the fantasy editor at Del Rey Books, the fantasy an ...

selected "The Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World" for inclusion on their respective "years-best" short story volumes,Mike Ashley (2007) ''Gateways to forever: the story of the science-fiction magazines from 1970 to 1980,'' Liverpool, UK: Liverpool University Press, p150 making it the only story from the ''New Dimensions 1'' volume to be chosen twice. Mike Ashley writes that the story was not original, but nevertheless topical on first publication. Greenberg ''et al.'', in the 1975

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs, or related fiction/non-fiction excerpts by different authors. There are also thematic and g ...

''Social Problems Through Science Fiction,'' describe Farmer's story as "sociologically meaningful as well as fascinating reading ..Farmer does not have a "solution" to the population problem within the usual parameters of proposed answers. He does, however, describe just how different a world inundated by humanity might be."Greenberg M.H., Milstead J..W, Olander J.D., and Warrick, P. (1975) "The Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World," ''Social Problems Through Science Fiction,'' New York, NY: St. Martin's Press, p21-22 Michael Smith described the story as depicting "perhaps the most extreme example of constrained freedom in an overcrowded future."Michael Smith (1999) "The Short Life of a Dark Prophecy," ''Fear itself: enemies real & imagined in American culture,'' Purdue University Press, p346

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sliced-Crosswise Only-On-Tuesday World Short stories by Philip José Farmer 1971 short stories Science fiction short stories

Synopsis

Reception

See also

References