The dangers of unchecked technological progress

Setting

The Time Machine is primarily set in two distinct time periods. The story opens in late 19th- century Victorian England, specifically in Richmond, Surrey, where the unnamed Time Traveller lives and first demonstrates his invention to a group of dinner guests. This framing narrative establishes the contemporary setting from which the protagonist embarks on his journey through time.

The bulk of the story takes place in the distant future, approximately 802,701 AD. In this far-off era, the Time Traveller finds a drastically altered Earth. The landscape has become a lush garden-like paradise inhabited by the childlike Eloi who live in small communities among deteriorating futuristic buildings. However, this idyllic surface world is revealed to have a dark underside—the subterranean realm of the ape-like Morlocks who operate machinery underground and prey on the Eloi at night.

In the final sections of the novel, the Time Traveller ventures even further into the future, witnessing the final days of Earth. He observes a dying world approximately 30 million years from his own time, where the last vestiges of life cling to existence on a beach beneath a swollen red sun. This bleak far-future setting provides a haunting conclusion to the Time Traveller's journey through the ages of Earth.

Characters

• The Time Traveller: The protagonist and narrator of most of the story, an unnamed scientist who builds a time machine and travels to the distant future. Intelligent and curious, the Time Traveller is also eccentric, a bit arrogant, and increasingly reckless in his adventures through time. His observations and experiences in the year 802,701 AD form the core of the novel's plot and themes.

• Weena: An Eloi woman whom the Time Traveller befriends in the future. Childlike and afraid of the dark, she develops an attachment to the Time Traveller. Weena represents the devolved state of humanity in the far future, having lost much of her intelligence and survival instincts. Her fate is left uncertain at the end of the novel.

• The Medical Man: One of the dinner guests who listens to the Time Traveller's story. He is skeptical of the Time Traveller's claims but engages in scientific debate about the possibility of time travel.

• The Psychologist: Another dinner guest who attempts to rationalize the Time Traveller's story. He proposes psychological explanations for the fantastical tale.

• Filby: An argumentative dinner guest who frequently challenges the Time Traveller's assertions. He serves as a voice of skepticism throughout the framing narrative.

• The Editor: A minor character who attends the Time Traveller's dinners. He represents the popular press and its tendency to sensationalize scientific discoveries.

• The Journalist: Another minor dinner guest who listens to the Time Traveller's story. He is eager for a scoop but ultimately dismissive of the tale's veracity.

Quick facts

• H.G. Wells wrote the first draft of The Time Machine in just seven days in 1894.

• The novel was serialized in the New Review magazine from January to May 1895 before being published as a book.

• The Time Machine has never been out of print since its first publication in 1895.

• The book popularized the concept of using a vehicle for time travel, coining the term “time machine."

• The Time Machine is considered one of the earliest examples of the “dying Earth” subgenre of science fiction.

• Wells based the Time Traveller's workshop on his own laboratory at the Normal School of Science.

• The Morlocks were inspired by Wells's teenage experience working in a basement as a draper's apprentice.

• Wells wrote a deleted scene describing the Time Traveller's visit to the far future, which was later published separately as “The Grey Man."

• The 1960 film adaptation, directed by George Pal and starring Rod Taylor, won an Oscar for its time-lapse photographic effects showing the world changing rapidly. 

• The author's great-grandson Simon Wells directed the 2002 film adaptation starring Guy Pearce.

About the Author

H.G. Wells (1866-1946) was a visionary English novelist and one of the most influential writers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for his groundbreaking works of science fiction, including The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, and The Island of Doctor Moreau.

Born into a working-class family in Kent, England, Wells overcame a challenging childhood to become a prolific author and social activist. His vivid imagination and scientific knowledge allowed him to create stories that were both fantastical and grounded in real scientific concepts. He is credited with popularizing many tropes that are now commonplace in science fiction, such as time travel, alien invasions, and invisibility. Beyond his fiction, Wells was also a respected social commentator and futurist. He accurately predicted many technological advancements, including nuclear weapons, satellite television, and the World Wide Web.

As a political thinker, Wells was a committed socialist and member of the Fabian Society. He used his writing to advocate for social reform and a more equitable society. His nonfiction works, such as The Outline of History and The Rights of Man, had a significant impact on political thought in the early 20th century. Wells was also an outspoken critic of organized religion, particularly in his later years.

Wells's legacy extends far beyond his own lifetime. His works have been adapted countless times for film, television, and radio. He inspired generations of science fiction writers and helped establish the genre as a respected form of literature. Today, Wells is remembered not only as a master storyteller but also as a visionary who helped shape our understanding of science, technology, and society in the modern world.