The writings of H.G. Wells have had a profound influence on literary and cinematic depictions of the present and the possible future, and modern science fiction continues to be indebted to his “scientific romances,” such as The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds and The Island of Doctor Moreau. Interpreted and adapted for more than a century, Wells’s texts have resisted easy categorization and are perennial subjects for emerging critical and theoretical perspectives. The author examines Wells’s works through the post-structuralist philosophy of Gilles Deleuze. Via this critical perspective, concepts now synonymous with science fiction—such as time travel, alien invasion and transhumanism—demonstrate the intrinsic relevance of Wells to the genre and contemporary thought.

Michael Starr is an associate professor in film and screen studies at the University of Northampton, United Kingdom.

Michael Starr.. Series Editors Donald E. Palumbo and C.W. Sullivan III
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 220
Bibliographic Info: appendices, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2017
pISBN: 978-1-4766-6835-2
eISBN: 978-1-4766-2887-5
Imprint: McFarland
Series: Critical Explorations in Science Fiction and Fantasy

Table of Contents


Acknowledgments viii

Preface 1

Abbreviations 3

Introduction—Wells, Deleuze and Science Fiction 4

One—The Island of Doctor Moreau: Transhumanism, Spaces and Becoming 39

Two—The War of the Worlds: Martians, Cyborgs and Bodies Without Organs 72

Three—The Time Machine: Time Travel, Crystals and Nomads 106

Four—H. G. Wells: Conceptual Personae, Minor Writing and Eternal Return 137

Appendix A: Fictional Portrayals of H. G. Wells 159

Appendix B: Wells and Deleuze: Chronology of Publications Cited 165

Chapter Notes 168

Bibliography 178

Filmography 199

Index 201