Questions tagged [h-g-wells]
For questions about the English author H. G. Wells (1866 – 1946) or about any of his literary works.
18
questions
3
votes
0
answers
87
views
Is "The Island of Doctor Moreau" about colonialism?
It is, certainly if you are told of it, inescapable to see the parallels between Moreau's converting beasts into men and England's "attempts" to civilize "colonials" (Did the ...
- 420
34
votes
2
answers
7k
views
Did H. G. Wells use an emoticon in “The Time Machine”?
Emoticons were introduced in 1982. Today I started reading The Time Machine and I saw this line in the first page:
And he put it to us in this way—marking the points with a lean
forefinger—as we sat ...
- 443
4
votes
1
answer
90
views
What does “world outlook” mean in this context?
Under these baffling conditions there is no thorough discussion of the world outlook whatever, anywhere.
—The New World Order, by H.G. Wells
I interpret the "world outlook" as "world ...
- 141
12
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What is so special about a fruit being in season for eight days?
In chapter Four of The Time Machine, the Time Traveller states:
But the fruits were very delightful; one, in particular, that seemed to be in season all the time I was there — a floury thing in a ...
- 3,198
4
votes
1
answer
809
views
At what time did the time travel journey begin?
At the end of Chapter Two of The Time Machine, when the Time Traveller provides the brief summary of his journey he says:
I was in my laboratory at four o'clock, and since then... I've lived eight ...
- 3,198
16
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Origin of “Good books are the warehouses of ideas”, attributed to H. G. Wells on commemorative £2 coin?
The UK’s Royal Mint announced in January 2021 a commemorative £2 coin “Celebrating the Life and Work of H. G. Wells”. The coin design (depicted below) suggests that no-one involved in the project had ...
- 53.5k
6
votes
2
answers
225
views
What do these expressions mean in H.G. Wells's novel Kipps?
I came across this following series of phrases while reading H.G. Wells's Kipps and I promptly have no idea what they mean:
There were times when Kipps would lie awake, all others in the dormitory ...
6
votes
1
answer
155
views
What is the meaning of this sentence by H.G. Wells about a "liberal heathen deity"?
It's from "The Empire of Ants" by H.G. Wells.
Here is the paragraph it's in:
Captain Gerilleau, who was Holroyd's sole distraction from these physical distresses, developed into a formidable bore,...
- 103
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
What does H. G. Wells means by "Subject Races" in The War in the Air?
The term "Subject Races" is used a few times in H. G. Wells's novel The War in the Air. I have been looking around but only found a paper called "The Treatment of Subject Races", is this related?
- 153
3
votes
1
answer
133
views
In Kipps, what does H. G. Wells mean by "colonial meat by contract at threepence a pound"?
I came across this following sentence in H. G. Wells' Kipps and I don't understand what it means.
What he put into Kipps was chiefly bread and margarine, infusions of chicory and tea-dust, colonial ...
4
votes
1
answer
106
views
What does H. G. Wells mean by "ha'penny longcloth to sell, he put it thus to startled customers: 'Can DO you one, six half if y' like."?
I'm having trouble deciphering what appears to be a string of colloquialisms in H. G. Wells' novel Kipps. The passage in question describes a business owner Mr. Shalford, and it goes as follows:
He ...
1
vote
1
answer
99
views
What does H. G. Wells mean by "He had added to exceptional business 'push', bankruptcy under the old dispensation, and judicious matrimony."?
I encountered this following sentence while reading the second chapter of H. G. Wells' novel Kipps.
He was an irascible, energetic little man, with hairy hands, for the most part under his coat ...
3
votes
1
answer
116
views
What did H. G. Wells mean by "Manifestly their line lay straight along the lane to the sea"?
I've been reading Kipps by H. G. Wells, and I came across this sentence, which I am having trouble understanding.
They (the protagonist Kipps and his friend Sid) proceeded to the question of how ...
9
votes
1
answer
316
views
Was the N.I.C.E. director modelled on H. G. Wells?
Wikipedia claims that the character of Horace Jules in C. S. Lewis's That Hideous Strength - ostensibly the Director and boss of the N.I.C.E. organisation, in reality a figurehead manipulated by those ...
- 71k
5
votes
1
answer
197
views
How can the moon be in the first quarter and in the new moon phase on the same night in H. G. Well's "The Invisible Man?
In the novel The Invisible Man (By H.G. Wells), chapter 17 and 18 appear somewhat contrasting in the description of the night sky. In chapter 17, the author portrays the sight of a faceted pavilion, ...
- 53
1
vote
1
answer
265
views
What is the implication about humans in general at the end of "The Island of Doctor Moreau"?
At the end of The Island of Doctor Moreau, after the protagonist gets off the island, we see that he has developed a sort of revulsion towards other humans:
Then I look about me at my fellow-men; ...
- 23.3k
2
votes
1
answer
300
views
When did the bacteriologist take the cab in "The Stolen Bacillus"?
When did the bacteriologist take the cab in the Wells short story "The Stolen Bacillus"? First he was running towards him, and then near the end we come to know that he is in a cab. Is it that him ...
- 165
8
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Could the War of the Worlds be considered a proto Cosmic Horror story?
After reading the War of the Worlds, I have noticed that H.G. Wells has presented several themes that would not be alien to something that Lovecraft would compose. There's a deep anti-anthropocentric ...
- 213