The Time Machine
What is The Time Machine about?
The Time Machine is the novel that gave us the concept of—and even the word for—a “time machine.” While it’s not Wells’ first story involving time travel, it is the one that most fully fleshes out the concept of a device that can send a person backwards and forwards in time with complete precision. Time machines have since become a staple of the science fiction and fantasy genres, making The Time Machine one of the most deeply influential science fiction novels of the era.
Main themes in The Time Machine
Time travel
The theme of time travel weaves through The Time Machine, adding depth to its narrative.
Class division
The Time Machine thoughtfully explores class division through its central conflicts.
Evolution and degeneration
The theme of evolution and degeneration weaves through The Time Machine, adding depth to its narrative.
Scientific speculation
The Time Machine thoughtfully explores scientific speculation through its central conflicts.
Why The Time Machine is still relevant today
The Time Machine is the foundational time-travel story, establishing conventions the genre still follows. Wells's vision of humanity's far future—divided into decadent Eloi and predatory Morlocks—is both exciting adventure and social allegory about class division. It remains as relevant as when written.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Time Machine about?
An inventor travels to the year 802,701, finding humanity split into two species: the childlike Eloi and the subterranean Morlocks who prey on them. The Time Traveller must escape this nightmare future and retrieve his stolen machine.
What do the Eloi and Morlocks represent?
Wells allegorizes Victorian class division: the leisured upper class has degenerated into helpless Eloi, while the working class has evolved into underground Morlocks. The horror is class conflict's logical endpoint.
Did Wells invent time travel stories?
Not the first, but The Time Machine established the conventions: a vehicle, paradoxes of causation, and using time travel for social commentary. It transformed time travel from fantasy to science fiction.
How long is The Time Machine?
The Time Machine is a short novella, about 100 pages. It can be read in an evening. Wells packs enormous imagination into compact form, making it an ideal introduction to his work.