H. G. Wells:The Time Machine

Synopsis

One of the most loved science fiction novels of all time, H. G. Wells’s “The Time Machine” is a novel that crafts a vivid and haunting picture of an earth some 800,000 years into the future. First published in 1895, it was one of the first novels to deal with the concept of time travel and due to its popularity has come to be regarded as one of the most impactful works on the development of the science fiction genre. “The Time Machine” was written at the beginning of a period of great technological advancement and it is evident in the author’s writings that this was an area of serious concern for him. Due to the author’s political leanings towards Socialism, he was highly skeptical of the value of technological developments in advancing the interests of society as a whole. The author poses the question within the framework of the novel: will technology ever go too far? The future world of the Eloi depicted within the novel warns of the dangerous consequences of unchecked technological advancements in a compelling, provocative, and timeless way.