Wells Meets Deleuze: The Scientific Romances Reconsidered

Description

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. Dedication Acknowledgments Table of Contents Preface Abbreviations Introduction: Wells, Deleuze and Science Fiction 1. The Island of Doctor Moreau: Transhumanism, Spaces and Becoming 2. The War of the Worlds: Martians, Cyborgs and Bodies Without Organs 3. The Time Machine: Time Travel, Crystals and Nomads 4. H. G. Wells: Conceptual Personae, Minor Writing and Eternal Return Appendix A: Fictional Portrayals of H. G. Wells Appendix B: Wells and Deleuze: Chronology of Publications Cited Chapter Notes Bibliography Filmography Index