The Time Machine: H G Wells (1895)
‘And I have by me, for my own comfort, two strange white flowers – shrivelled now, and brown and flat and brittle – to witness that even when mind and strength had gone, gratitude and a mutual tenderness still lived on in the heart of man’ (Epilogue)
1) Consider the implications of Wells’ narrator’s final words in the story. What final message is left for the reader to decipher and bear?
2) How do you feel about ‘time’? What does ‘time’ mean to you? Make spontaneous notes as to your thoughts and feelings about time. In small groups share your ideas about time and compare your notes on ‘time’ with those of your colleagues.
3) What is a ‘utopia’ and why do writers and artists often concern themselves with the explorations of such a concept? Why do utopias frequently degenerate into ‘dystopias’?
4) Look again at the opening paragraph of Wells’ novella and consider why such a setting is used for our first encounter with the ‘Time-Traveller’. Is this a world of privilege? A world of the comfortable Victorian bourgeoisie? How do you react to the first description of the time machine? Can you ‘see’ it, or does it remain an abstract ‘unreal’ or ‘fantastical concept?
5) Read the extract describing the traveller’s first encounter with the Eloi. How do you as readers and ‘travellers’ view these characters? What is their function in this futuristic world?
6) Now consider the extract describing the Morlocks. Once again consider their representation and ‘meaning.’ Why is Wells attempting to construct this ‘Utopia/Dystopia’ on such a model of duality?
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