H. G. Wells: His Life and Philosophies

H. G. Wells had rather extreme views in every respect. He was a prominent Fabian for some time and upheld many socialistic ideas that many still have a problem with. His views on human nature were pessimistic, the future was an eventual disappointment, but his writing is the kind that can capture the attention of many people from all ages and walks of life and draw attention to his ideas—which he did to great effect. What makes these books so fascinating? To answer questions such as these, it is imperative to know about the life of the man behind the books. Herbert George Wells was born on September 21, 1866 into a lower middle class family. He worked hard as both a student and assistant to multiple jobs before moving to London with a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Science. It was here that he was introduced to “Darwin’s Bulldog”, the eminent biologist T. H. Huxley, a man whose opinions helped shape Wells’ own for the rest of his life. Instead of becoming a biologist as recommended by Huxley, he became instead a teacher, and overworked himself until he fell into very bad health. On the doctor’s orders, he went to the south coast of England to rest until he ran out of money and returned to London. It was around this time that he met Frank Harris, editor of the “Saturday Review” newspaper, and began his careers as both a novelist and a journalist. Throughout the rest of his life he wrote steadily, averaging a little more than a book per year. In following his writing, one can see four distinct styles emerging throughout it all. At the beginning he went through a science-fiction phase containing books such as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, and the Invisible Man. The second phase contained his “humorous Dickensian novel...

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... has accomplished. This was H. G. Wells.

Works Cited

Belloc, Hilaire. "A Companion to Mr. Wells's "Outline of History"." Twentieth Century Literary Criticism: Volume 6. Detroit, Michigan: Book Tower, 1982. 522. Print.

Haynes, Roslynn D. "Wells Scientific Background: Scientist or Visionary?" Twentieth Century Literary Criticism: Volume 6. Detroit, Michigan: Book Tower, 1982. 522. Print.

"H. G. Wells." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Nd. Web. 17 Febuary, 2012.

Verne, Jules. "Jules Verne at Home." Twentieth Century Literary Criticism: Volume 6. Detroit, Michigan: Book Tower, 1982. 522. Print.

Wells, H. G. The Time Machine. New York: Scholastic Inc., 1978. Print.

—. The War of the Worlds. Aerie Books Ltd., 1993. Print.

"Wells, Herbert George." Twentieth Century Authors; A Biographical Dictionary of Modern Literature: First Edition. Np. 1942. Print.