How does H.G Wells attract and maintain the interest of the reader in ‘The War of the Worlds? With particular reference to Chapters; One, Five and Sixteen in book one
The Novel ‘The War of the Worlds’ by H.G.Wells is about alien invasion, in which we see one man and his survival through the alien invasion in London. The novel’s genre is science fiction and this novel had led to be very popular because it was the first novel based on alien invasion to be written. Also the significance of the novel to this genre has influenced many directors and authors to write about aliens such as: E.T, StarWars etc. H.G.Wells was often referred as the ‘grandfather of science-fiction’. H.G.Wells was born on 21st September, 1866 and died on the 13th August, 1945.
When H.G.Wells wrote ‘The War of the Worlds’, the planet Mars was particularly close to Earth made the English quite suspicious about aliens existing on Mars but this was not true. This lead to an Italian Astronomer, Schiaparelli, who reported seeing ‘Canali’ on Mars meaning ‘Channels’ but the term was mistranslated as ‘Canals’ which are mad made. This led to much speculation about life on the Red Planet. This great deal of observation may of have had been the idea of H.G.Wells writing the first science fiction novel.
H.G.Wells ahs many notable works which include: The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Time Machine in the Moon and The Island of Doctor Moreau. H.G.Wells had an idea of invasion and colonisation which is clearly seen in the novel, ‘The War of the Worlds’ as people started to believe there was life on Mars. ‘And before we judge of them too harshly we must remember what ruthless and utter destruction our own species has wrought, not only upon animals, such as the vanished bison and the dodo, but upon its own inferior races’. In 1866, the British Empire was strong and dangerous. The British Empire invaded many places, such as India and parts of Africa. They were colonizing the countries. People say that at that time the British Empire were "Stretched to their limits" Religion was being questioned by a man called Charles Darwin, who was a famous scientist. He came up with the idea that humans evolved from apes animals and cells multiplied. The War of the Worlds can be interpreted as a Darwinist novel, showing each species struggle for survival. Also, this quote links to the Martians which suggest that the Martians were just like the English, who had done the same. This would appeal to the reader because H.G. Wells. Wells has maintained the excitement and interest of the novel by using a number of successful techniques. The storyline is supported by a well planned structure which allows the effective build up of suspense and believable action. Wells has made a careful choice of narrators in order to ensure the full involvement of his readers both in the nineteenth century and in the present day. H.G.Wells has used scientific facts and science fiction to support the narrative and has also maintained the interest of his readers through his use of language and emotive description.
