Summary:
A biography of the English author H. G. Wells (1866-1946).
The Life of a Artist
Herbert George Wells was born on September 21m 1866 in Bromley, Kent, a small town close to London. His father, Joseph Wells was a shopkeeper and his mother, Sarah Neal Wells, worked as a housekeeper from time to time. Wells was educated at Bromley Academy until the age of fourteen. His father's business began to fail, forcing Wells to leave school and become a draper's apprentice both at Windsor and Southsea. He became a pupil-teacher in Somerset, and later a chemist's assistant at Midhurst Grammar School. By February 23, 1881, Wells was considered a full-time student at Midhurst. He did well at Midhurst and won a scholarship in 1885 to attend the Normal School of Science in South Kensington. He began studying biology under T. H. Huxley who encouraged Wells' fascination with evolution. Wells grew dissatisfied with school and left the college after two years. In 1887, Wells began teaching at a private school for the next four years. He then went back to school and earned his Bachelor of Science degree in 1890. He also began his writing career, giving essays on science for "The Fortnightly Review." Later, he became acquainted to his cousin Isabel, who worked as a photographic retoucher. ( But peep this out, back then people fell in love with their relatives and on top of that married their relatives). They were about the same age. H.G. Wells found Isabel very attractive and at the age of twenty-five, the two the got married. They had a quiet ceremony held on October 31, 1891 at the Wansworth Parish Church. The couples then settled down in London where H.G. Wells took up another teaching job at a local university.
Wells" marriage to Isabel only lasted a few years, and marked the beginning of Wells' continuous marriage affairs. While teaching at the university, Wells became interested in one of his students. Amy Catherine Robbins became the new love of his life. He divorced Isabel in 1894, and he and Jane eloped the following year. After concentrating on his literature for several years, Wells considered himself a full-time writer. He was twenty-nine when he published his first and most popular novel, "The Time Machine" (1895). In the book, the main character travels into the future to the year 802701. In this future, two ancestors of man exist. The Eloi are happy-go-lucky sunray dwellers who frolic in the warm sun. The Morlocks live below the ground unable to stand the light. Though the Eloi appear to have the preferred lifestyle, the Morlocks have attained the upperhand and harvest the Eloi for food. Wells' social commentaries on society's ills are evident in the conflicts of the novel. In "The Time Machine," the Eloi represent the fate of the twentieth century's powerful elite, who continue to evolve into creatures who are incapable of anything. In the meanwhile, the Morlocks represent the proletariat, who possess survival skills and control the land. The twist in the novel is that the peaceful Eloi have a pristine society while the manipulative Morlocks must dwell in the pits of the earth. "The Time Machine" was very well received both by critics and by readers. Wells continued with his scientific fiction genre and produced "The Island of Dr. Moreau" (1896), "The Invisible Man" (1897), and "The War of the Worlds" (1898).
Wells' popularity was growing and his wandering eye became more prevalent. In 1901, Wells and Jane had their first son, named George "Gip" Philip Wells. After the birth of their second son, Frank in 1903, they separated. Wells soon began what would turn out to be a lifetime of affairs. Jane stayed married to Wells perfectly aware of the other women. In fact, Wells confided in her about many of his relationships. For years, Jane stood by Wells and helped him with the organization of his career and social events.
In 1903, Wells became an active socialist and joined the Fabian Society after such members as George Bernard Shaw and Sidney Webb convinced him to participate. Wells had already been writing non-fiction pieces on politics and technology. Works such as "Anticipations" (1901), "The Discovery of the Future" (1902), and "Mankind in the Making" (1903), had caught the eyes of the social reform party. Wells felt that the party should take on a more active role in changing the world. The party opted for more discussions and inquiry on the topic. Wells did get himself elected to the Executive Committee, but he resigned from the society in 1908. Stories such as "Kipps" (1905) and "The History of Mr. Polly" (1910) demonstrated Wells' great character representation. His sketches of lower middle-class English life and their comical effort of trying to improve and elevate their status were the basis of such works. His views on women's rights in "Ann Veronica" (1909) and his attack on capitalists in "Tono-Bungay" (1909) were considered very radical.In 1908, Wells met a woman named Amber Reeves. While still married to Jane, he and Amber impulsively eloped to France. Amber became pregnant and the two decided to go back to England. Amber refused to marry Wells, paradoxically suggesting that she did not want to break up a marriage with children. The two confided in Jane, but the end solution was to have an arranged marriage for Amber and another man. Wells kept up his relationship with Amber, who gave birth to a daughter on New Years' morning in 1909. The relationship finally subsided and was over in the spring of 1910. In the spring of 1913, Wells began a relationship that would last for the next ten years and a love that would last his whole life. Rebecca West was an intelligent, emotional woman with a promising future as a journalist. She was born Cicily Isabel Fairfield in December 1892, the two met when Rebecca wrote a review on some of Wells' literature in the September 1912 issue of "Free Woman." She was twenty years old and Wells was forty-six. The two were deeply in love with each other and the first few years were very happy. They had a son, Anthony, who would unite them together for the rest of their lives. As time went on, the relationship waned on Rebecca both as a person and in her career. She felt the need to break off the relationship in order to commit more time to writing. Wells would have held onto her for as long as he could. By autumn of 1923, the two parted ways. Wells' love for Rebecca was very strong and their separation was very hard on him. He continued his life with Jane and carried on affairs with other women, but his love for Rebecca remained with him his whole life.By 1923, Wells was known around the world for his many works of literature. He was an inventive futurist and was deeply concerned for the human race. When World War I broke out, Wells was very disturbed. When the war was over he focused much of his attention on the history of the world, from the beginning of time up to the present moment. His lengthy and renowned piece of literature, "The Outline of History" (1920) consisted of two volumes and traced time up to World War I. Two years later Wells published "A Short History of the World," another account of time. He later collaborated with his son, George, and the British biologist, Sir Julian Sorell Huxley, in creating an even more extensive piece of work, "The Science of Life" (1929-31). This four-volume detailed collection is considered an official scientific study. Wells is also highly regarded for "An Experiment in Autobiography" (1934). In 1943 at the age of seventy-seven, Wells received a D.Sc. degree from the University of London for his thesis on human behavior. Wells grew more pessimistic with age, and it was reflected in his writing. World War II disturbed him in particular. Wells had already shown his deep concern for the human race and discussed atomic weapons and nuclear wars. In 1944, he wrote "'42 to '44", in which he severely criticizes many of the world leaders of the time. His books continued to be gloomy, and at the age of seventy-nine, he published his last novel. "Mind at the End of Its Tether" (1945) was another negative outlook conveying his skepticism of the human race's capacity to endure life in this world. Wells passed away a year later in his sleep on August 13, 1946 in London, England.
This is the complete article, containing 1,412 words
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