| Eve Of The War http://www.focusgaming.co.uk/eveofthewar/ |
|
| One Thing I Dont Know A Great Deal About http://www.focusgaming.co.uk/eveofthewar/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=140 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | Leper Messiah [ Tue Feb 15, 2005 4:08 am ] |
| Post subject: | |
how was the story recieved at the time of its original publication? i imagine showing the mighty British Empire nigh on destroyed might not have gone down so well with some, and apart from that it raised some interesting social questions as well so did it get loved or trashed? |
|
| Author: | The Curate [ Tue Feb 15, 2005 2:29 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
<_< Might be totally wrong here Leper but i think the story may very well seem creepier to people over the passage of time than its effect on the readers at the time it was written.Hundred years on,maybe its easier to be more objective dunno!! |
|
| Author: | Martian Myster The New Ma [ Tue Feb 15, 2005 4:55 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
I would have though that it may have been quite misunderstood, as Wells was well ahead of his time really. <br /><br />I think a lot of people may have found it hard to grasp the concept of outer space when they are just realising the earth is round. lol :smoking: |
|
| Author: | gypsywlf [ Fri Feb 18, 2005 1:59 pm ] |
| Post subject: | |
<!--QuoteBegin-Leper Messiah+Feb 14 2005, 11:08 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Leper Messiah @ Feb 14 2005, 11:08 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteEBegin-->how was the story recieved at the time of its original publication? i imagine showing the mighty British Empire nigh on destroyed might not have gone down so well with some, and apart from that it raised some interesting social questions as well so did it get loved or trashed?<br />[right][snapback]942[/snapback][/right]<br />[/quote]<br /><br />Actually, when Wells story was released, it was part of an already-existing genre -- The Invasion Story -- which was a part of the British culture.<br /><br />There were several invasion stories prior to Wells, though they always picked the earthly villain-d'jour as The Menace. In 1894, Le Queux wrote "The Great War in England of 1897" in which the French and Russians team up to invade and almost conquer England. In 1871, Col. Chesney wrote "The Battle of Dorking" in which the Prussians penetrate the "wooden walls" and invade England. In the 1880s, there were various minor tales of the French invading (mostly around the time of the Boulanger "crisis" and the tunnel scare.<br /><br />There were many invasion tales shortly after WotW, too. In 1906, Le Queux rewrote his story, retitled "The Invasion of 1910" but with the Germans getting The Menace role. <br /><br />So, Wells' WotW would have found a reading market already keen on invasion tales. His unique twist was to make The Menace be martians. In several other ways, his plot line matches up pretty closely to the (then) traditional invasion plot -- Mega-powerful Menace lands in England. Status Quo England cannot stop it. The Menace destroys much. The Menace is stopped by some unforeseen twist (usually some flaw in The Menace) and England narrowly escapes.<br /><br />Wells' story, IMHO, was far superior in his first-person telling and great word-picture depth. Cheseney's 1871 story is good too, for the same reasons -- just not as sci-fi fascinating.<br /><br />Sorry for the length. bottom line, I think Wells story fit right into the genre of its day. Not as shockingly different as we might think.<br /><br />-- cheers! |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC |
| Powered by phpBB © 2000, 2002, 2005, 2007 phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |
|