The Wonder by J.D. Beresford

First published in 1911 as The Hampdenshire Wonder

The story of Victor Stott is said to be one of the first novels about a superman. That is true only in a limited sense. Victor has no unusual physical gifts, no superhuman strength. He is, however, intellectually superior to other humans, a super-genius. And Victor apparently knows of his superiority from the moment of his birth: he views others with a sort of disapproval if he acknowledges them at all, and seems able to control them (or maybe just repel them) with his stare. Yet he isn't conceited; it isn't worth his time to compare himself to others. Beresford writes: "He was entirely alone among aliens who were unable to comprehend him, who could not flatter him, whose opinions were valueless to him." Young Victor rarely communicates with others; he acknowledges their presence only when he needs someone to open a door or prepare a meal. Conversations aren't worthwhile to Victor because nobody has the intellectual capacity to understand him.

The novel's narrator is a journalist covering cricket matches when he meets Ginger Stott, who has a brief but magnificent career as the best bowler in the sport. It is a tribute to Beresford's writing ability that I was engrossed by the chapter that describes Stott's development as a bowler and the games he bowled, despite my complete ignorance about cricket (most of the time, I had no idea what the narrator was talking about). When Ginger's career ends, he decides to father a son who will carry on where he left off, and is despaired when Victor is born with a grossly enlarged head. The novel carries us through Victor's aloof life from the moment of his birth through his early childhood.

To a large extent the novel is about prejudice or fear of those who are different. The novel juxtaposes Victor and a somewhat older, developmentally disabled child with a similarly enlarged head; both are objects of scorn and dread among the villagers. To some extent, the prejudice against Victor is greater because Victor has ideas that are out of the ordinary. When a rector spends an hour lecturing Victor about religion, Victor makes one of his rare pronouncements: he informs the rector that his Bible stories aren't true. The rector responds by insisting that Victor be committed to an asylum.

The Wonder is also about the limits of knowledge and the nature of discovery. The philosophical implications of Victor's life are briefly discussed in the last chapter. Anyone with an interest in those topics should enjoy The Wonder, as should readers who are interested in the history of science fiction. But The Wonder is so well written and so interesting that it should appeal to a broader audience, as well.

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