Invisible Man

Author: (British) Wells
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-04-01
Features: In the field of science fiction, H.G. Wells was a writer who had a profound impact on the world. Critics have noted that "he changed the thinking of not just one generation, and was not limited to his own country①"; "his scientific romance remains unmatched to this day⑦"; "among modern writers, no one has had the same influence as Wells③." Thus, even fifty years after his death, publishing his science fiction works still holds great significance. Wells was born in 1866 and lived during the Victorian era in England. He came from a poor family; his mother worked as a housemaid, and his father was once a professional baseball player before turning to small business. Wells was an avid reader from a young age, and his extensive reading allowed him to transcend the limitations of his family and enter a new realm of life, establishing a broad perspective for observing the world. In 1880, he became an apprentice at a pharmacy but was not very successful. The following year, he switched to working as a shop assistant and left in 1883. Although the life of a shop assistant was dull and mundane, it provided him with rich material for his later writing. In 1884, he won a scholarship and enrolled at a university in London to study science. These three years were a crucial period in his life, and his views on life and society were largely formed during this time. Notably, he met with the Darwinist Huxley and was influenced by his theories of cosmic and biological evolution, which helped him develop the creative ideas for his social novels and science fiction works. After graduating, he held a short-term teaching position and, in 1893, gave up teaching to pursue professional writing due to health reasons. As early as the 1880s, Wells began writing essays, but his first published work appeared in 1891. That same year, he married his cousin and divorced in 1895. In that year, he published the sensational science fiction novel The Time Machine, which made him a literary celebrity overnight. At the same time, he established close ties with the leading writers in London and was influenced by their ideas. In the last five years of the 19th century, he created a series of distinctive science fiction works that attracted widespread attention and laid the foundation for the development of world science fiction in the 20th century. After that, he expanded into other genres of fiction while also publishing some academic works until his death in 1946. Wells' creative career can be roughly divided into three stages: before 1900, he primarily wrote science fiction works such as The Time Machine (1895), The Island of Dr. Moreau (1896), The Invisible Man (1897), The War of the Worlds (1898), and The Sleeper Awakens (1899). From 1900 to 1910, in addition to writing science fiction works such as The First Men in the Moon (1901) and The Food of the Gods (1904), he focused more on comedic novels, depicting the struggles of ordinary people in urban lower classes with a light tone, filled with humor and even satire, highlighting the hardships of life in a society of stark wealth inequality. These works include Love and Mr. Lewisham (1900), Kipps (1905), The Tono-Bungay (1909), and Mr. Polly (1910). After 1910, he devoted himself to writing social critique novels, which reflected his literary stance of downplaying the entertainment function of novels while emphasizing their role in political advocacy, as well as his ideals of social reform. Major works in this period include New Machiavellism (1911), Mr. Britling Sees It Through (1916), Men Like Gods (1923), The Dream (1924), Mr. Polly's Dictatorship (1930), The Shape of Things to Come (1933), and Too Much Happiness (1941). Meanwhile, he also wrote academic works such as A Short History of the World (1920). In terms of content, the aforementioned novels can also be categorized into three types, roughly corresponding to his three creative periods: science fiction, comedic character novels, and political novels. Of course, Wells was most successful and influential in science fiction, with representative works such as The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon, The Food of the Gods, and The Days of the Comet, among which The Invisible Man is considered his highest-rated and most beloved work. The main feature of Wells' science fiction novels is the combination of scientific fantasy and social critique, embedding profound social critique within rich scientific fantasy, making his works both engaging to read and deeply thought-provoking.