Men Like Gods
Encyclopedia
Men Like Gods is a novel written in 1923 by H. G. Wells
. It features a utopia
n parallel universe
.
, advanced science, and even pathogens have been eliminated and predators are almost tamed. Barnstaple is confounded and confused by the utopian attitudes: "Where is your government?" he asks. "Our government is in our education" is the answer. Barnstaple gradually loses his Victorian English narcissism
. For instance, Wells makes comments on personal responsibility when Barnstaple sees a person slaving over a rose garden at high altitude and asks, "Why don't you hire a gardener?" The answer is, "The working class has vanished from utopia years ago! He who loves the rose must then serve that rose." Barnstaple is changed by those experiences and he loses his previous view of the world and becomes more sympathetic to the ethos around him. As this conversion starts to take place, Utopians begin to fall ill.
This, however, means that the newly arrived Earthlings pose a grave threat to Utopians, as the latters' immune system
s have become weak; the Earthlings have to be quarantine
d until a solution is found. They resent this isolation and some of them plot to take over Utopia; they are actively opposed by Barnstaple, who has to escape from the quarantine castle to do it, just as superior Utopian technology destroys the Earthling revolt. Finally the Utopians find a way to send Barnstaple back, and the story ends as he goes back to Earth.
). The novel was yet another vehicle for Wells to propagate the so-called "Wellsian utopia", his ideas of a possible better future society, which he has described in several other works, notably in his A Modern Utopia
(1905). In literary history, the novel's notable role was to provoke Aldous Huxley into writing Brave New World
(1932), his parody and criticism of Wellsian utopian ideas.
Wells himself later commented on the novel: "It did not horrify or frighten, was not much of a success, and by that time I had tired of talking in playful parables to a world engaged in destroying itself."
Several characters in the novel are directly taken from the politics of the 1920s, the character Rupert Catskill in the novel probably represents Winston Churchill
, as he was seen at that time, as a reckless adventurer. Catskill is depicted as a reactionary ideologue, criticises Utopia for its apparent decadence, and leads the attempted revolt against Utopia.
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
. It features a utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n parallel universe
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
.
Plot summary
The hero of the novel, Mr. Barnstaple, is a depressive journalist working for a newspaper called the Liberal. At the beginning of the story, Barnstaple, as well as a few other Englishmen, are accidentally transported to the parallel world of Utopia. Utopia is like an advanced Earth, although it had been quite similar to Earth in the past in a period known to Utopians as the "Days of Confusion." Utopia is a utopian world: it has a utopian world governmentWorld government
World government is the notion of a single common political authority for all of humanity. Its modern conception is rooted in European history, particularly in the philosophy of ancient Greece, in the political formation of the Roman Empire, and in the subsequent struggle between secular authority,...
, advanced science, and even pathogens have been eliminated and predators are almost tamed. Barnstaple is confounded and confused by the utopian attitudes: "Where is your government?" he asks. "Our government is in our education" is the answer. Barnstaple gradually loses his Victorian English narcissism
Narcissism
Narcissism is a term with a wide range of meanings, depending on whether it is used to describe a central concept of psychoanalytic theory, a mental illness, a social or cultural problem, or simply a personality trait...
. For instance, Wells makes comments on personal responsibility when Barnstaple sees a person slaving over a rose garden at high altitude and asks, "Why don't you hire a gardener?" The answer is, "The working class has vanished from utopia years ago! He who loves the rose must then serve that rose." Barnstaple is changed by those experiences and he loses his previous view of the world and becomes more sympathetic to the ethos around him. As this conversion starts to take place, Utopians begin to fall ill.
This, however, means that the newly arrived Earthlings pose a grave threat to Utopians, as the latters' immune system
Immune system
An immune system is a system of biological structures and processes within an organism that protects against disease by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. It detects a wide variety of agents, from viruses to parasitic worms, and needs to distinguish them from the organism's own...
s have become weak; the Earthlings have to be quarantine
Quarantine
Quarantine is compulsory isolation, typically to contain the spread of something considered dangerous, often but not always disease. The word comes from the Italian quarantena, meaning forty-day period....
d until a solution is found. They resent this isolation and some of them plot to take over Utopia; they are actively opposed by Barnstaple, who has to escape from the quarantine castle to do it, just as superior Utopian technology destroys the Earthling revolt. Finally the Utopians find a way to send Barnstaple back, and the story ends as he goes back to Earth.
Critical response
Contemporaries gave the novel mixed reviews: some considered it to be a weakly plotted story in which Wells's utopian enthusiasm overtook his skills as a writer of scientific romances (his own term for what is nowadays commonly called science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
). The novel was yet another vehicle for Wells to propagate the so-called "Wellsian utopia", his ideas of a possible better future society, which he has described in several other works, notably in his A Modern Utopia
A Modern Utopia
A Modern Utopia is a work of fiction by H. G. Wells.* H. G. Wells's proposal for social reform was the formation of a world state, a concept that increasingly occupied him throughout the remainder of his life...
(1905). In literary history, the novel's notable role was to provoke Aldous Huxley into writing Brave New World
Brave New World
Brave New World is Aldous Huxley's fifth novel, written in 1931 and published in 1932. Set in London of AD 2540 , the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology and sleep-learning that combine to change society. The future society is an embodiment of the ideals that form the basis of...
(1932), his parody and criticism of Wellsian utopian ideas.
Wells himself later commented on the novel: "It did not horrify or frighten, was not much of a success, and by that time I had tired of talking in playful parables to a world engaged in destroying itself."
Several characters in the novel are directly taken from the politics of the 1920s, the character Rupert Catskill in the novel probably represents Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
, as he was seen at that time, as a reckless adventurer. Catskill is depicted as a reactionary ideologue, criticises Utopia for its apparent decadence, and leads the attempted revolt against Utopia.