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One of the most influential writers in English of the early twentieth century, H. G. Wells's prodigious output-more than 150 books, as well as countless articles, reviews, and short stories—has remained psychologically unexplored. Many of Wells's works repeat certain themes of his own life and development and often project his personal experiences and tribulations onto mankind and its prognosticated future. The study of these themes in one of his most famous novels has led me to certain inferential conclusions.
Born in 1866, the year following the end of the American Civil War, he grew up at the height of the Victorian era, and lived through two world wars and the beginning of the atomic age. He died in 1946, one year after the bombing of Hiroshima.
His artistic career, which started in late adolescence, began with the writing of The Time Machine, a literary masterpiece that propelled him—a one-time apprentice in a cramped drapery store, and the son of poor parents, members of the British servant class—to world fame. The Time Machine was a most unusual tale, a pioneering venture into the realm of what is now termed science fiction.
In this brief communication, I shall attempt to present an outline of the main themes, influences, and fantasies which went into the creation of The Time Machine.
The machine is an ingenious device which enables its inventor, “the Time Traveler,” to leave the present and travel in a few moments into the future. During the course of the trip, he witnesses the rise and fall of civilizations through various ages of human development. The Time Traveler and his machine finally come to rest in the year 802, 701 A. D., when he encounters the humans of that period