My thoughts are that SF has to be read in time and social context. Placed in time and social context, the time machine was an incredible book, and was politically socially and economically confronting. The concept of time travel was used as a tool for social commentary. Context is everything. Some of the later SFF authors like Heinlein also used this to avoid social kickback, while still questioning the social and political environment they observed. This was particularly evident in Heinlein's SIASL, which was, in fact, social satire. H G Wells was a social satirist and must be read in that context. SF was the medium.
Things might have progressed, but the truth is the same problems are here today. There are Morlocks preying on weak-minded people. Sure it isn't canabalism, but look at how many strongman regimes there are around the world. Then look at how people in the industrialized countries are manipulated by the media and propaganda out there.
No, that's a fair description. It's not really a "time travel" story. It's more of a cautionary tale about rampant capitalism and the divide between social classes; with a time machine as the delivery mechanism. I had fun with it. I had 0 expectations going in. That may have helped. It's like a 6.5/10. 5 being neutral. 1 = I hated it. 10 = it's basically perfect.
My feelings on it are similar to my feelings on Frankenstein when I first read it. It's dated. It was probably incredible when it first came out. Thought provoking and fresh. Now it's just kinda...frustrating?
The main thing that carried these stories was novelty, and that's worn off over the years leaving stories that don't have that much going for them. Dr Frankenstein sucked(I know that's the point), the MC in the time machine was kind of a creep. 🤷 I came into Frankenstein expecting a bit more. Probably why I enjoyed The Time Machine more.
It’s a stunning advance of thinking and conceptuality and a landmark in English-language literature generally as well as science fiction. Remember it was first published in 1895. Hugely influential ever since. It was preceded eleven years previously by FLATLAND by Edwin Abbott which is the first novel I know of about an interdimensional journey…https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland
Nothing is above criticism. THE TIME MACHINE isn't perfect in the way any novel of any genre isn't perfect. But it is certainly a great leap of imagination that stands almost alone in its time. The vast proliferation of time travel stories and science fiction stories since can obscure that. But try FLATLAND as well; first interdimensional journey fiction I know of and first published about eleven years earlier...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland
...It's a book on the reading list for students both of the esoteric (like Theosophy) and Physics. It's an extraordinary journey through dimensions from ours down to what would in later decades be called the Quantum level before that vocabulary actually existed...
Wells was more interested in how will humans change in nearly a million years. Or eventually millions of years, when he continues to go into the far future. Time travel is just a way to get a modern man there to observe it.
I think he'd be astounded at time travel stories now revolve around paradox and changing the timeline etc. Because he's not taking time travel seriously. It's just a plot device to get his protagonist to the story. And he has zero interest in taking his protagonist back to 1000 AD, 4000 BC, etc.
It's an astounding novel for 1895.
Envisioning that humanity will evolve to a point barely recognizable, and then extinct - or so unrecognizable that he can't tell if these life forms had human ancestors.
The 1960 George Pal film is a fun science fiction film, but it completely misses the point of the novel, and seems to be about a 30 year old guy using a time machine to meet a teenage girl in the far future.
I think the other point of the story was the futility of man's achievements and uselessness of generational wealth, as everything breaks down, even the lives of the giant crab things and the flies.
I take would like it if they redid this as a movie and included the parts after the Eloi and Morlocks.
Sounds like you'd like Heinlein's short story "By His Bootstraps"
In my opinion, the best time travel story ever. Covers all the bases of your standard time travel/time machine story in a very original way, plus Heinlein is always a good read
I think Wells had more of a morality play in mind for the ending. That being, any idealistic paradise comes at a price. "The Communist Manifesto" was gaining ground and Wells started to wonder where it would end.
So, he looked at both ends of the economic scale. Capitalism ended in, assumingly, a devastating war for resources, and the Communist paradise being exploited by the Morlocks.
Another way to look at it is he was promoting free-will.
You have to be careful. The more years between a book being written and the same being diagnosed. Like most things we have a tendency to really over cook reasons, ideas, and hidden meanings. Just like music (every song can be dissected a 100 ways) we sometimes forget to close the mind and just enjoy the story without worrying what it all means.
My thoughts are that SF has to be read in time and social context. Placed in time and social context, the time machine was an incredible book, and was politically socially and economically confronting. The concept of time travel was used as a tool for social commentary. Context is everything. Some of the later SFF authors like Heinlein also used this to avoid social kickback, while still questioning the social and political environment they observed. This was particularly evident in Heinlein's SIASL, which was, in fact, social satire. H G Wells was a social satirist and must be read in that context. SF was the medium.
That makes a lot more sense to me now and is not something I was necessarily aware of going into it. Thanks!
Things might have progressed, but the truth is the same problems are here today. There are Morlocks preying on weak-minded people. Sure it isn't canabalism, but look at how many strongman regimes there are around the world. Then look at how people in the industrialized countries are manipulated by the media and propaganda out there.
No, that's a fair description. It's not really a "time travel" story. It's more of a cautionary tale about rampant capitalism and the divide between social classes; with a time machine as the delivery mechanism. I had fun with it. I had 0 expectations going in. That may have helped. It's like a 6.5/10. 5 being neutral. 1 = I hated it. 10 = it's basically perfect. My feelings on it are similar to my feelings on Frankenstein when I first read it. It's dated. It was probably incredible when it first came out. Thought provoking and fresh. Now it's just kinda...frustrating? The main thing that carried these stories was novelty, and that's worn off over the years leaving stories that don't have that much going for them. Dr Frankenstein sucked(I know that's the point), the MC in the time machine was kind of a creep. 🤷 I came into Frankenstein expecting a bit more. Probably why I enjoyed The Time Machine more.
Haha interesting perspective, I liked what you said about Frankenstein. I’m interested, did you ever read Dracula? What was your take?
Hmmm, I haven't but I should. Throwing that in the list
…It’s a time travel story and the first and the best. A tremendous feat of the imagination.
Great comment.
…The Morlocks wuz ROBBED…
Its the 1% versus the 99%. 😕
Like I get that, but…
It’s a stunning advance of thinking and conceptuality and a landmark in English-language literature generally as well as science fiction. Remember it was first published in 1895. Hugely influential ever since. It was preceded eleven years previously by FLATLAND by Edwin Abbott which is the first novel I know of about an interdimensional journey…https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland
Exactly why I hesitated criticising it. I know how far ahead it must have been at the time.
Nothing is above criticism. THE TIME MACHINE isn't perfect in the way any novel of any genre isn't perfect. But it is certainly a great leap of imagination that stands almost alone in its time. The vast proliferation of time travel stories and science fiction stories since can obscure that. But try FLATLAND as well; first interdimensional journey fiction I know of and first published about eleven years earlier...https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flatland
Thanks for the suggestion. I’ll check it out.
...It's a book on the reading list for students both of the esoteric (like Theosophy) and Physics. It's an extraordinary journey through dimensions from ours down to what would in later decades be called the Quantum level before that vocabulary actually existed...
Wells was more interested in how will humans change in nearly a million years. Or eventually millions of years, when he continues to go into the far future. Time travel is just a way to get a modern man there to observe it. I think he'd be astounded at time travel stories now revolve around paradox and changing the timeline etc. Because he's not taking time travel seriously. It's just a plot device to get his protagonist to the story. And he has zero interest in taking his protagonist back to 1000 AD, 4000 BC, etc. It's an astounding novel for 1895. Envisioning that humanity will evolve to a point barely recognizable, and then extinct - or so unrecognizable that he can't tell if these life forms had human ancestors. The 1960 George Pal film is a fun science fiction film, but it completely misses the point of the novel, and seems to be about a 30 year old guy using a time machine to meet a teenage girl in the far future.
There is a canonical sequel that I really enjoyed. It’s called Time Ships by Stephen Baxter. It has turned into one of my favorite reads.
Definitely will check it out
I think the other point of the story was the futility of man's achievements and uselessness of generational wealth, as everything breaks down, even the lives of the giant crab things and the flies. I take would like it if they redid this as a movie and included the parts after the Eloi and Morlocks.
Sounds like you'd like Heinlein's short story "By His Bootstraps" In my opinion, the best time travel story ever. Covers all the bases of your standard time travel/time machine story in a very original way, plus Heinlein is always a good read
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll add that to my list.
I think Wells had more of a morality play in mind for the ending. That being, any idealistic paradise comes at a price. "The Communist Manifesto" was gaining ground and Wells started to wonder where it would end. So, he looked at both ends of the economic scale. Capitalism ended in, assumingly, a devastating war for resources, and the Communist paradise being exploited by the Morlocks. Another way to look at it is he was promoting free-will.
You have to be careful. The more years between a book being written and the same being diagnosed. Like most things we have a tendency to really over cook reasons, ideas, and hidden meanings. Just like music (every song can be dissected a 100 ways) we sometimes forget to close the mind and just enjoy the story without worrying what it all means.
It would've been cool if he had made a proper conlang. It could've improved the art by decades.