Blackwell Reference Online

Extract

The waning moments of the nineteenth century were an auspicious time in European history. As the continent stood anxiously upon the precipice of a new epoch, momentous advances in the sciences were defining already a world yet to be born. In 1895, a young writer, Herbert George Wells fabricated his own wondrous machine, one that captivated the imagination of the reading public. With the publication of The Time Machine , the author, a biologist by training, issued a powerful rebuke to the optimistic view of technological progress precipitated by the scientific innovations of the fading century. A cautionary fable, Wells's novel was a bleak, allegorical rendering of an increasingly technological society, one whose future was already imperiled by growing class divisions and political ideologies which placed capital accumulation ahead of ethical considerations. Two years later, Wells scripted The War of the Worlds , an equally powerful work that was just as adamant in its critique of British society as its predecessor. The novel envisions a malevolent Martian attack on Earth, during which the intergalactic aggressors lay waste to London before they succumb to a humble virus from which their extraterrestrial immune systems have no defense. An extremely rich and layered text, the narrative engages fears of a coming war on the continent and anxieties regarding technology unfettered ... log in or subscribe to read full text