H. G. Wells and the Short Story

the long version

H.G. Wells is justly famous as a writer of short stories, but for too long the originality of his contribution in this field has been unacknowledge. The present study argues that in his short stories Wells was not simply emulating the styles and themes of his predecessors but making a distinctive contribution to the genre grounded firmly in his approach to fiction. He was moreover giving fictional expression to drives and longings implicit in his makeup. The tension in his personality between classical and romantic drives fractured much of his work yet paradoxically proved to be one of his greatest strengths. The expression of this tension in his short stories forms a fascinating study. An introductory chapter gives an overview of Wells' contributions to the genre and places them in their literary and biographical context. This is followed by a chapter examining his distinctive approach to the art of the short story, and a checklist of his short fiction. This introductory section is followed by seven chapters of 'case-studies' focusing on a representative selection of the short stories and examining their language and imagery in closer detail. An appendix includes the text of two short stories now reprinted for the first time since their original publication. The study demonstrates that Wells' short stories merit far closer critical attention than they have yet received and possess considerable psychological and symbolic insight.