The Great Automatic Grammatizator by Roald Dahl is a story written a quite some time ago but stands perfectly relevant to this day. Man, with a mechanical mindset believes that definite, nearly mathematical laws govern language. He uses this concept to build a massive machine that can produce a prize-winning novel in around fifteen minutes. The narrative comes to an unsettling conclusion as more and more authors from around the globe are compelled to license their names—and any remaining hope for human creativity is lost.
The Great Automatic Grammatizator | Summary
At the beginning of the story, John Bolen summons Adolph Knipe to his office to receive accolades for a job well done. Despite Bohlen’s explanation that Knipe’s efforts were particularly noteworthy, Knipe is dissatisfied with the compliments regarding his computer. Knipe is uninterested but ponders how Bohlen’s hands and “tiny mouth and purple-colored lips” irritate him. Bohlen, in the meantime, offers Knipe two weeks off from work since he doesn’t like the way he constantly slouches and is disorganized.
Knipe returns to his two-room flat and, while typing on his typewriter, chastises the massive electronic computer. Then Adolph has a realization and starts coming up with a strategy to exact revenge on his worst enemies. Knipe decides to give his computer a range of sentences and plot points, and then to step away as it constructs the story’s sentences. He is aware that a computer can have practically endless memory and that the English language is governed by exact, almost mathematical, principles, despite the fact that a computer cannot think for itself. Knipe began to construct intricate designs, programming the computer with words, stories, and names as well as an electronic typewriter and knobs with the names of well-known American journals. While delivering his ideas to his workplace, Knipe continues to appear disheveled and bent, in Bohlen’s opinion. Bohlen rejects Knipe’s suggestion when he says that no one on earth would want a machine that could produce stories.
In response to Bohlen’s denial, Knipe explains that he is dissatisfied with his line of work and wants to be a writer. He has authored 506 stories in the past ten years despite the fact that no one will publish them and he has a strong desire to write. Bohlen relaxes at the notion that Knipe is not a good enough writer to give up his job, but Knipe maintains that his stories are far superior to the majority of the published magazine articles. From a business standpoint, any piece that is published will generate a sizable profit. Despite the fact that Bohlen continues to believe the machine is an ineffective gimmick, Knipe makes an effort to convince him otherwise by outlining potential profit margins and suggesting that they establish their own literary agency in order to find writers. When Knipe suggests that he put his name on some of the articles, Bohlen begins to daydream about being a famous author. Within a week, Bohlen decides to go along with the plan and have the contraption pass for a calculator.
Six months after the equipment is built, Knipe and Bohlen are awaiting its first tale to be generated in front of it. When they select Today’s Woman, only a series of random characters is displayed. Knipe makes a few adjustments, and they try the machine again; this time it generates a Digest piece with no spaces in between the words. Knipe and Bohlen finish their first correctly formatted story after making a few more changes, and they submit it to a reputable women’s magazine. Bohlen and Knipe ultimately found a writing service, and Adolph published a number more stories. Twelve stories that the duo submit to magazines total five that are ultimately published.
In another six months, Adolph will be producing 30 stories per week and selling around half of them. Bohlen is ignorant that in literary circles, Knipe is beginning to garner a considerably more distinguished reputation than Bohlen. Currently, the two are engaged in book writing. Bohlen requests the publication of a very intellectual book after realizing that Knipe is keeping some of the better stories for himself. Knipe modifies the program to enable it to generate novels with any form of storyline or linguistic style. The machine now includes ten rows of pre-selector buttons, forcing the author to sit at a control station and modulate various elements including suspense, pathos, and surprise. Knipe provides the most effective final control for incorporating emotion.
Knipe decides to pay off other writers in the country in exchange for their vow to completely quit writing after realizing his success has made him more ambitious. After being labeled as made by the first writer, Knipe is escorted out. The second writer smacks Knipe after seeing his seriousness. Knipe contacts a third author, a successful female romance novelist, after seeing that the machine generates better writing than her own. She agrees to sign the contract. Knipe is able to convince around 70% of the authors on his list to sign his contract, which allows Adolph to generate half of all novels published in the English language after a full year of the machine’s operation.
At the end of the book, the narrator reveals that they are also a writer who has nine starving children. For now, the narrator prays to God that he will have the fortitude to sign Knipe’s contract and “let our children starve.”
The Great Automatic Grammatizator | Analysis
The Great Automatic Grammatizator , a morality narrative, examines the attraction of selling one’s soul and values. This narrative has a lot to say about how greed may lead to human corruption. According to Knipe, the device is a successful business enterprise that can generate stories that can be published and bring in money and notoriety. As the machine’s power increases, Knipe gains more strength. As Knipe builds a contract and buys out more and more writers, his efforts turn into a campaign for monopoly power.
The evolution of Knipe and Bohlen’s relationship also provides an insightful look at power. Knipe conquered Bohlen, renamed the literary agency after himself, and enhanced his reputation in the literary world, albeit Bohlen initially worked as Knipe’s manager and provided funding for the initial machine. When Knipe expands his business endeavors to include contracts with writers, Bohlen finally sees Knipe’s goals as being unduly ambitious. Knipe now has complete control over Bohlen, and he keeps enlarging his influence and financial superiority. Knipe gains power in this story as he becomes more ambitious and wealthy.
This story also serves as a compelling parable about striking a deal with the devil and giving him your soul. Indeed, authors value wealth and ease over morals and integrity. Although Knipe first intended to “revenge[e] himself in a most devilish manner upon his greatest enemies,” he ultimately accomplishes much more. Knipe’s lust for power and greed only grows as his influence does. A transparent character up until this point, the narrator now addresses the audience directly as the story draws to a close. Contrary to the other characters in this story, the narrator is still hopeful that they won’t sign the contract despite the fact that they have nine children to support. This strength serves as the story’s moral lesson because the narrator values honesty and integrity more than the quick cash Knipe’s immoral contract offers. In the closing paragraph, the narrator of the story asks God for the strength to let his children starve. In the end, the story is a smart examination of innovation, labor, and automation.
The story, however, can also be seen as a satire on contemporary popular magazine editors and their unimaginative technique of evaluating and selecting human-written fiction. In 1954, Dahl said that authors should be wary of “the machine,” but it was also clear that year that the machine had already arrived—in the very human form of commoditizing editors who catered to the lowest common denominator of the reading public. Dahl and Calvino obviously agreed with some aspects of the notion that all authors are, in some way, obliged by the conditions of literary production to be algorithmically creative, even though it would be a stretch to say that they were fellow members of the literary avant-garde.
The satirical short story “The Great Automatic Grammatizator” examines questions of authority, wealth, and the ethical fallout of compromising one’s morality. Roald Dahl uses a number of literary techniques to effectively convey his ideas. One important literary device in the book is symbolism. The machine designed by Adolph Knipe serves as a symbol of the benefits and risks of automation and commercialization. It represents the idea that creativity and originality may be reduced to a mathematical formula, leading to the commercialization of writing. As the machine’s capabilities grow along with Knipe’s reputation and influence, the machine itself starts to stand for power and authority. Dahl also makes use of irony throughout the story. The irony is that Knipe eventually uses his machine to oust and reign over other writers, despite his initial loathing of his line of work and ambition to be a writer. This irony illustrates how the pursuit of fame and wealth may compromise artistic integrity and how corrupt avarice is. The story is made more intriguing by the way it is set up. It has a linear plot that gradually builds suspense and tension as Knipe’s objectives advance. Knipe’s actions have repercussions, which Dahl deftly points out, enabling readers to see Knipe’s moral decline and the machine’s eventual hegemony over the publishing sector. The narrative of “The Great Automatic Grammatizator” has depth in part because of the characterization. Knipe is shown as an unhappy and underappreciated worker who eventually turns into a devious and power-hungry character. His shift serves as a sobering reminder of the attraction of success and the moral compromises one might have to make in order to pursue it.
Dahl’s use of vivid language enhances the impact of his narrative. Knipe and Bohlen’s physical differences are highlighted and their characters are given additional depth by the in-depth descriptions of their physical traits. Additionally, the language used to describe the machine’s capabilities exudes awe and excitement, drawing readers into the narrative and highlighting the potential dangers of unchecked technological advancement.
In conclusion, “The Great Automatic Grammatizator” employs a number of literary techniques to deliver its severe warning about the destructive force of greed and the sacrifices made in the name of success. Readers are prompted to reflect on the balance between artistic integrity and commercialization in the creative industries by Roald Dahl’s thought-provoking story. He accomplishes this via irony, structure, characterization, symbolism, and descriptive language.