H G Wells

Programme Outline

The programme consists of:

• extracts, with accompanying visual images, from three H G Wells texts:
• The Time Machine
• The Invisible Man
• The War of the Worlds
• four interviews:
• Brian Aldiss (science fiction author) talks about H G Wells’ legacy in the twentieth century;
• Stephen Baxter (science fiction author) summarises the power and significance of each of the texts;
• Jayne Bryson (MA student of Science Fiction) comments on themes and style;
• Dr Martin Wells (H G Wells’ grandson) provides insights which link details of Wells’ life with aspects of the texts themselves.
• dramatised extracts from Wells’ autobiography, Experiments in Autobiography
• an extract from the radio broadcast of Orson Welles’ version of The War of the Worlds

Text 1: The Time Machine [00.00.19]
Themes explored
Wells:

• introduced the concept of time travel
• explored the idea that 'evolution' may not necessarily be to humankind's advantage
• foretold a bleak future for the planet
• critically examined the class system of his time, inventing the degenerate Eloi (surface dwellers) and the brutish Morlocks (subterranean dwellers) to represent his vision of a divided society
  Parallels with Wells’ own experience are introduced in the programme, as it examines the situation of his mother who worked 'below stairs’ at Uppark House, Sussex.

Extract 1: the sensation of time travel [00.00.19]

• general comments on the genre
• introduction to the theme of class division
• structure of Victorian households
• Wells’ mother in service as a maid at Uppark House

Extract 2: class divisions [00.04.11]

• formative impressions on the young Wells of Uppark's tunnels
• Wells’ bleak view of humankind's future: a futuristic world of 'abominable desolation', where no human life exists: the division of society into 'the Haves pursuing pleasure and comfort and beauty', and the underworld of the 'Have-nots’, has 'destroyed human life on earth'

Extract 3: Evolution [00.08.50]

• the museum was a symbol of Victorian confidence and optimism: an environment of order, learning and calm, where the past was preserved
• the decay of the museum in The Time Machine is symbolic of the failure of the society that created it to adapt and survive

Extract 4: a vision of 'abominable desolation' [00.10.28]

• Wells’ symbolism: a sterile and decaying landscape which reflects his pessimistic view of the future
• the connecting device of sub-genres
• Wells as the 'Father of Science Fiction'

Text 2: The Invisible Man [00.13.20]
Themes explored

• the dangers of scientific experimentation
• mutation

Extract 1: 'a magnificent vision': the possibilities provided by invisibility [00.14.36]

• place of the Normal School of Science
• Wells’ opinion of scientists of his era: he had an ambivalent attitude to them, feeling that they had the potential to be evil characters, motivated by power

Extract 2: 'I shall never forget that dawn': the transformation [00.15.45]

• Wells’ style of writing
• the subtle use of scientific detail
• Wells abandoned strict scientific realism and used just enough detail to maintain plausibility

Text 3: The War of the Worlds [00.18.25]
Themes explored
Wells:

• introduced the idea of invasion by beings from another planet
• explored how technical superiority can lead to the domination and destruction of other species
• linked the Martian invasion of Earth with imperialism and European colonisation
• predicted the weapons of destruction that would dominate the twentieth century (the 'Heat Ray' – atomic bomb; 'gas’ – chemical warfare)

Extract 1: the opening sequence of the novel [00.18.25]

• brief synopsis of the novel – invasion story
• Orson Welles’ 1938 radio version: techniques and audience response

Extract 2: London deserted, the 'howling' [00.22 .00]

• archive film material of Wells himself, with explanation of his influence on modern science fiction writers, television and film makers