THE TIME MACHINE: General Discussion

[Peter]

I just finished the book and enjoyed reading all your comments. I enjoyed the book, too, perhaps mostly as an artifact of the earliest days of the modern era. Interesting how no reference seems dated, even though the style of the narrative is pretty much obsolete. You just couldnt write like this today and expect to sell your work. Once I got used it, though, I found the story compelling if vague and ethereal, despite the polemics. Gotta see the Rod Taylor movie I saw first as a little kid.

[Peter]

Thought I posted a comment last week but don't see it. If you do, apologies for repeating myself.
Late to this discussion I know. Anywayz ...
I enjoyed this weird tale despite the problems of the style for modern readers, who'd rather get into the characters and the action for themselves instead of having a highly pedagogical narrator constantly filtering everything and explaining his shifting thoughts to them.
Despite that, I found it fascinating as a kind of artifact of the early years of the modern age (not long before "The Education of Henry Adams" was published, which is about a 19th century Boston Brahmin having to deal with the new age of "dynamos" and other technological marvels--if my vague college English seminar memories are correct).
It's interesting how many of "The Time Machines" scientific references hold true more than a century later, even though a lot of things — such as tectonic plate theory — were still a long way off for Welles.
The Social Darwinism was heavy handed and yet interesting as a relic, and truly creepy when it came the Eloi and the Morlocks.
Not a lot of depth in any character. Hard to picture Yvette Mimieux on the Time Traveler's arm ...
A lot of books that become classics, such as this one, were instantly celebrated; I think novels like Moby Dick and The Great Gatsby, which were duds when published, are the exception among classics. Many became part of the culture almost instantly and remain
iconic, especially those reintroduced to new generations through film.
"The Time Machine" took its place in literary and cultural history right away, I suspect, and has remained secure in it ever since -- in part because no one would write such a book today. Wonder how many people actually read this who aren't required to.

[Tej]

Im only just starting this...yikes...

[John, Moderator in Memory]

Tej, please try to keep up with the rest of us. Just kidding. I was glad we had a short book for last month's group read as it allowed me to catch up myself and even read a book of my own choice. It was kind of nice.

[Natalie]

I've enjoyed this book and the films each time I've read/watched them. Has anyone read "The Map of Time" by Felix J. Palma? It's a really interesting book in which HG Wells is a character central to the plot.

[John, Moderator in Memory]

We read "Map of Time" last year (Jan/Feb of 2012) as one of our monthly book club selections. It was a long book, but I really enjoyed it. In fact, the original "Time Machine" by H.G. Wells was included as an addendum (at least in the in the ebook edition). I thought about reading it at the time we read Palma's book, but I never found the time until now.

[Brenda]

I want to read that.

[Amy, Queen of Time]

Speaking of books that feature H.G. Wells, he shows up in The Assassination Of Adolf Hitler as well. Obviously, he's not central to the plot, but he does make a guest appearance. :-)

[Heather(Gibby)]

I have finished "reading" the Book. I actually listeded to it as an audiobook, which was a version done by the BBC. It had a variety of actors playing different characters, and sound effects and music. I found it very entertaining, and was glad I have finally gotten this time travel classic under my belt.

[Andy]

Hey, thought I would add my two cents worth. I am always lurking here and never posting enough. I own about 6 different editions of H.G. Wells the Time Machine including one funky one that was distributed to soldiers in WWII in a flip book kind of style they could take with them in combat.

Anyhow two general observations on the novel that I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere yet.

1) Wells was largely writing about class distinction in Britain as it still existed at this time. He felt that the there was a huge disconnect between the working "Morlock" class and the elitist "Eloi" clans that had no cares on how the world worked.

2) I find that with novels of this era that the story is often told third hand through a narrator retelling the story of the main character as is the case here. I also noticed it in Shelley's Frankenstein, the novel is told in a series of nested view points, but begins with a ship's captain who found Frankenstein (or was it his monster?) afloat on a ice floe in the arctic. Anyhow my point being that, I think this narrative device might be a form of distancing the reader from the fantastic on purpose. In other words it would sound too crazy to readers of the time to hear such "nonsense" straight from the MCs mouth. Better to hear it from a sane second observer who must have bought into or they wouldn't be retelling it. Just an observation.

I too prefer the 1960s movie version to the book since I like the visuals that it incorporates and the open ended question at the end about which books the traveller took the future with him to rebuild society.

[John, Moderator in Memory]

Andy wrote: "I find that with novels of this era that the story is often told third hand through a narrator retelling the story of the main character as is the case here..."

The Sherlock Holmes stories come to mind as a good example of a story told from the observers' POV. Perhaps this was a method of telling a story in first person POV before that became popular.

[Cheryl]

Thank you Andy. In my review of Frankenstein I asked for ideas about the purpose of the 'frame' and didn't get any theories. Your idea makes sense. I've been fretting about that for years, every time I read such a book (didn't The Lost World use a frame, too?) and now I can accept your explanation and rest easy.

John, your idea seems plausible too, but let me just accept Andy's and not re-awaken the questions in my mind... :grin:

[Cheryl]

I wanna see photos of the flip book, Andy.

[Howard]

Andy, Cheryl & John, no mystery here, I think.

The books you mention both employ expert use of Myth & so numbers become very important.

The number 3 (your third person narrative, etc.) is all prevalent in Myth & so is 4, or more properly 3 + 1 but there are others, too, depending on what you're tring to do.

Myth is a very powerful tool for it's unconscious, or can be, that is & the examples you cite are expertly plugging into the formula & that's why they affect you as they do, in ways that you may not understand nor be comfortable with, etc.

They're reaching, you see, delving into the very stereotypes that you already have, although perchance they’re deeply hidden inside your wiring, so to speak.

And John, when people say that Cody’s life was mythical it’s true, for it fits the formula, also.

This, you see, would relieve you of the burden of having to do so, for he, by living such a life has already done it for you.

A good choice John, as I’ve told you before.

Be bold.

[Diana]

Some have been complaining that Weena seems to be an airhead. Maybe I read it wrong. My impression was that she was representative of her "people" that they had become little more than cattle with very little intelligence. Just eating and breeding. It would have been stranger if she suddenly turned out to be smart.

[Brenda]

This is so true. But consider if Weena had been Weenan, a young man who does/says the same things in the story. Would it have the same vibe, or would it be less creepy? Or more?

[Andy]

Okay my links to those photos of the Armed Forces edition of H.G. Wells The Time Machine weren't working. Going to try reloading on my Flickr account.

Here you go.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63335734...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/63335734...

[Jaime]

The Time Machine has been my favorite time travel story since I was a child. A five star book all the way for me. Loved the writing style-the visions it created in my imagination-and yes, even the ending. Being relatively new here the next sentence or two may get this post deleted-if so, I apologize. But the Time Machine ending haunted me. Every sequel I read left me disappointed(yes, even Time Ships). Consequently I wrote my own and sought to answer many of the questions and issues posed by the members of this as well as other time travel groups. Hope I'm not out of line by mentioning my book here--EPILOGUE TIME MACHINE CHRONICLES...Only the Time Machine and the mystery of "one cannot choose but wonder" could have inspired me to work on the book from 1987 until May of 2010. Hope to hear from some time travel fans and be a active member of the group. Jaime (Jim)