History Literature / TheDreamOfPerpetualMotion

* MadArtist: Astrid [[spoiler:who has herself bronzed]], the sculptor hired by Prospero to make endless images of his daughter [[spoiler:who cuts up Miranda to make the perfect version]], and a literary professor even suggests that Prospero has arranged his entire life in imitation of ''Theatre/TheTempest''.

* IdealizedSex: Averted; Harold and Miranda argue over which position to use, the first condom breaks, Harold comes too quickly and Miranda has to fake her orgasm while thinking of a previous lover.

%%* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor

* CoitusEnsues: Deconstructed with Harold and Miranda. It's not very sexy.
* CommonHollywoodSexTraits: Averted; Harold and Miranda argue over which position to use, the first condom breaks, Harold comes too quickly and Miranda has to fake her orgasm while thinking of a previous lover.

* DefiledForever: Miranda's father can't even stand to touch Miranda once she's lost her virginity. Ironically she'd lost it long before he finds out about her alliance with Harold.
%%* ExtremeDoormat: Harold
%%* FlyingCar
%%* ForScience: Why Prospero Taligent has filled the world with machines.

* IngestingKnowledge: An inventive example. Caliban and his typewriter. [[spoiler:Prospero Taligent claims it doesn't actually work; it was just done to Caliban to make him feel special.]]

* KeeperOfForbiddenKnowledge - Caliban fancies himself as this. It's likely all his revelations are gibberish.

* LoveMakesYouCrazy
* MadArtist: Astrid [[spoiler:who has herself bronzed]], the sculpter hired by Prospero to make endless images of his daughter [[spoiler:who cuts up Miranda to make the perfect version]], and a literary professor even suggests that Prospero has arranged his entire life in imitation of ''Theatre/TheTempest''.
* MadonnaWhoreComplex

* MadScientistsBeautifulDaughter / GirlInTheTower: Miranda

* OnSecondThought: Prospero and Astrid arrange works of art [[spoiler:that require their deaths.]] They both have last second doubts, but it's too late.

* ShoutOut: Caliban Taligent is [[spoiler:made up of the body parts of various people,]] just like in ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}''.

* SheIsAllGrownUp: Prospero is unable to cope with this, and becomes obsessed with returning Miranda to a "pure" and unchanging state.

* TheTower: Taligent Tower

* YouNeedToGetLaid - Or as Astrid puts it, "AC:DC".

* BeCarefulWhatYouWishFor

* CoitusEnsues: Deconstructed with Harold and Miranda. It's [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments not very sexy]].

* ExtremeDoormat: Harold
* FlyingCar
* ForScience: Why Prospero Taligent has filled the world with machines.

* DefiledForever: Miranda's father can't even stand to touch Miranda once she's lost her virginity. Ironically she'd lost it long before he finds out about her alliance with Harold.

* UnreliableNarrator - Harold's father gives a different version of his mother's death every time.

* ClassicalAntihero - Harold Winslow is a stubborn form of this, to such a point that he's become a jaded shell.
* CoitusEnsues - Deconstructed with Harold and Miranda. It's [[SugarWiki/FunnyMoments not very sexy]].

* CreatorCameo - Dexter Palmer appears at an art show in the middle of the story. Doubles as SelfDeprecation.

* DefiledForever: Miranda's father can't even stand to touch Miranda once she's lost her virginity.

* ForScience - Why Prospero Taligent has filled the world with machines.

* HumanoidAbomination - Like his [[Theatre/TheTempest Tempest]] namesake, Caliban Taligent. [[spoiler:He's made up of the [[MixAndMatchMan various body parts]] of people who were masters in their fields.]]
* IngestingKnowledge - An inventive example. Caliban and his typewriter. [[spoiler:Prospero Taligent claims it doesn't actually work; it was just done to Caliban to make him feel special.]]

* KnowledgeBroker - Prospero Taligent, to a ridiculous degree.
* LivingMacguffin - Miranda Taligent, much to her chagrin. [[spoiler:She ends up becoming the Perpetual Motion Machine]].

* MadScientist - Prospero; it's agreed by all concerned that he is mad by the end, yet he also uses the trope deliberately when he threatens to TakeOverTheWorld with his DeathRay-armed [[DreadZeppelin zeppelin]] -- [[spoiler:it's actually just to get Harold moving.]]

* MindScrew - A common theme of the story is the Joy of the Unknowable vs the Tedium of the Knowable, so it's kind of expected.

* ShoutOut - Caliban Taligent is [[spoiler:made up of the body parts of various people,]] just like in ''Literature/{{Frankenstein}}''.

* ScienceMarchesOn - Invoked by Harold's father and others with much pathos.

* TheirFirstTime - Subverted; it's Harold's first time, but Miranda's thoughts show she's already lost her virginity with a coalshoveler down in the boiler room (who was a lot better at sex than the inexperienced Harold).

* UnfazedEveryman - A rare example where ''all of humanity'' has become this in the face of scientific progress.

* TheUnreveal - [[spoiler:What was done to Miranda to turn her into the Perpetual Motion Machine.]]
* WetwareCPU - [[spoiler:It's revealed at the end that Miranda is the Perpetual Motion Machine.]]

* '''Armchair Psychology:''' In this world, there are shrinkcabs, which are taxicabs ostensibly driven by licensed psychologists (actually professional listeners who've done a one week course).

* MadScientist - Prospero; it's agreed by all concerned that he is mad by the end, yet he also uses the trope deliberately when he threatens to TakeOverTheWorld with his DeathRay-armed zeppelin -- [[spoiler:it's actually just to get Harold moving.]]

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment - Oh, you want just ''one''?

* MadScientist - Prospero; it's agreed by all concerned that he is mad by the end, yet he also uses the trope deliberately when he threatens to TakeOverTheWorld with his DeathRay-armed zeppelin -- [[spoiler:it's actually just to get Harold moving.]] P.S. a "Mad Scientist" is also a DrinkOrder.

* NightmareFuel / {{Squick}}: Several characters' deaths are described in such a way that you are left with absolutely no doubt as to exactly how they died, but with enough missing detail for your imagination to flesh out the most gruesome particulars it can.

* CoitusEnsues - Deconstructed with Harold and Miranda. It's [[CrowningMomentOfFunny not very sexy]].

** Rebels against the advent of all this technology [[WizardOfOZ paint themselves silver and wear funnels on their heads]]

* ArmchairPsychology - In this world, there are shrinkcabs, which are taxicabs ostensibly driven by licensed psychologists (actually professional listeners who've done a one week course).

->“Storytelling—that’s not the future. The future, I’m afraid, is flashes and impulses. It’s made up of moments and fragments, and stories won’t survive.”
-->--''Prospero Taligent''

* MadArtist: Astrid [[spoiler:who has herself bronzed]], the sculpter hired by Prospero to make endless images of his daughter [[spoiler:who cuts up Miranda to make the perfect version]], and a literary professor even suggests that Prospero has arranged his entire life in imitation of ''TheTempest''.

* ShoutOut - Caliban Taligent is [[spoiler:made up of the body parts of various people,]] just like in {{Frankenstein}}

** As a young boy, Harold gets to travel with [[CharlieAndTheChocolateFactory a large group of children into the corporate headquarters of a reclusive genius]].

* JerkassGenie: Prospero promises the children who attend his daughter's tenth birthday that he will give them what they most desire. Years later Howard meets the boy who sat next to him at the party, now a morphine addict who gets a crystal bottle of morphine delivered to him every day.

* CrapsaccharineWorld: Elements of this with the protagonist's work at the greeting card company, and the workers at the Taligent Tower marching to work singing proletarian songs.