The Future of Society: Dystopian and Utopian - Aspects in H.G. Wells’ "The Time Machine and Men Like Gods"

Abstract

My essay will discuss the subject of dystopia and utopia in two selected works by H.G. Wells. I will show that both novels reflect the changing discourse of the time in which they were written, and will argue that the author changes large parts of his philosophy and his way of writing after World War One. Further, this essay will show that both novels contain dystopian and utopian elements, but that one element is more prominent in each of the novels. Finally, this essay will show how H.G. Wells presented his ideas of liberal socialism and how those ideas manifested in his post-war novel. The first chapter will discuss the pre-war novel and the society that influenced the writing of The Time Machine. The second chapter will focus on the change of perspective after World War One and the creation of Wells’ utopia in Men Like Gods. The third chapter will address the political views of H.G. Wells by looking at ideas that the author presented at the time and by discussing some of the critique he received by his contemporaries.