“Influences on the writing of The War of the Worlds”
H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds, written in 1898, is a fictional novel about the Martian invasion of Earth, and the inability of humans and human technology to defend themselves and their lands. There are a few things that influenced the writing of this novel. One being events leading up to the turn of the nineteenth century; Another being Wells’s belief that modern life would be challenged with series of threatening events; and the last being his strong beliefs in and support of Darwin’s theory.
The War of the Worlds was written in response to many historical events (Brians 1). At the end of the 19th century, the nations of Europe were divided into strategic alliances that pitted them …show more content…
These hopes are countered by his pessimistic disbelief in humankind’s ability to make the necessary choices for social and political progress ( Moss 477 ). Wells concluded that Earth would endure series of disruptions and that the following century would witness apocalyptic changes. These problems, he presumed, could be started by science, but most likely by human ignorance, rapacity, and self- conceit. “He believed that Earth itself was threatened by its own blindness to its self-destructive potential.” He envisioned a world that consisted of atomic weapons, mass annihilation of cities, and total war and chaos. He enjoyed taunting the phlegmatic attitudes of the Europeans. An example of this would be him showing London destroyed by the Martians in The War of the Worlds ( Rollyson 1-2 ). This phlegmatic attitude is represented in the beginning of the novel when the people of Europe continue to go about life self-assured of its mastery of nature and technology and its dis-concern with any threat to humanity ( Rollyson 558 ). Due to their ignorance, they are unprepared for any attack of this scale. The novel is insistent on describing the mass hysteria that an invasion like such would cause. It also is insistent on opening our eyes to how unprepared human civilization is for the barrage of forces from another, more powerful world. The alien attack provides Wells with a scenario for inputting on the organization of modern civilization in times of crises. The mob of humanity is treated as a mob of similar humans who trample upon one another and fail to formulate an adequate defense ( Rollyson 2 ). The ending of the novel is not optimistic, despite the narrator reuniting with his wife. Wells delivers an extraordinary feeling of loss, not only of homes, institutions, and lives, but also of self-belief in the spirit of humans. It is a sad ending
H.G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds, written in 1898, is a fictional novel about the Martian invasion of Earth, and the inability of humans and human technology to defend themselves and their lands. There are a few things that influenced the writing of this novel. One being events leading up to the turn of the nineteenth century; Another being Wells’s belief that modern life would be challenged with series of threatening events; and the last being his strong beliefs in and support of Darwin’s theory.
The War of the Worlds was written in response to many historical events (Brians 1). At the end of the 19th century, the nations of Europe were divided into strategic alliances that pitted them …show more content…
These hopes are countered by his pessimistic disbelief in humankind’s ability to make the necessary choices for social and political progress ( Moss 477 ). Wells concluded that Earth would endure series of disruptions and that the following century would witness apocalyptic changes. These problems, he presumed, could be started by science, but most likely by human ignorance, rapacity, and self- conceit. “He believed that Earth itself was threatened by its own blindness to its self-destructive potential.” He envisioned a world that consisted of atomic weapons, mass annihilation of cities, and total war and chaos. He enjoyed taunting the phlegmatic attitudes of the Europeans. An example of this would be him showing London destroyed by the Martians in The War of the Worlds ( Rollyson 1-2 ). This phlegmatic attitude is represented in the beginning of the novel when the people of Europe continue to go about life self-assured of its mastery of nature and technology and its dis-concern with any threat to humanity ( Rollyson 558 ). Due to their ignorance, they are unprepared for any attack of this scale. The novel is insistent on describing the mass hysteria that an invasion like such would cause. It also is insistent on opening our eyes to how unprepared human civilization is for the barrage of forces from another, more powerful world. The alien attack provides Wells with a scenario for inputting on the organization of modern civilization in times of crises. The mob of humanity is treated as a mob of similar humans who trample upon one another and fail to formulate an adequate defense ( Rollyson 2 ). The ending of the novel is not optimistic, despite the narrator reuniting with his wife. Wells delivers an extraordinary feeling of loss, not only of homes, institutions, and lives, but also of self-belief in the spirit of humans. It is a sad ending