03/15/02: Jules Verne Vs H.G. Wells.

Posted By: liquid-sunshine


Verne is a remnant of Newtonian physics. His fiction was concerned with mechanics that could launch a projectile into space, or propel a ship beneath the sea. Wells, on the other hand, delved into higher dimensions. Wells' fiction was of the future. Before Einstein (or string theory), Wells considered time as the fourth dimension.

Wells' fiction remains largely social criticism. His Morlocks in "The Time Machine" are descended from lower class workers who evolved to care for, and eat, their upper class masters. But many of his tales, like "The Plattner Story", foreshadows advances in theoretical physics...

We know now that time travel is possible, but only with huge amounts of energy availiable to a type three civilization. Kip Thorne's working time machine, designed for Carl Sagan's novel "Contact," has been accepted by physicists around the world. With the right amount of energy and understanding, all things are possible. Even mastery of time.

Wells' fiction exists on a higher plane than Verne's. Verne was falling apples, Wells is crashing Newtonian concepts. And crashing social concepts.


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