Joseph Conrad and H. G. Wells : The Fin-de-Siècle Literary Scene

This book traces the literary friendship between Joseph Conrad and H. G. Wells from their early correspondence through to the differences that caused their estrangement, including their respective responses to the First World War. It thus gives an overview of the literary scene in the late Victorian and early Edwardian period Joseph Conrad and H.G. Wells: The Fin de Siecle Literary Scene is the first sustained examination of the literary friendship between Conrad and Wells. Drawing upon biographies, letters, archival material and a close analysis of texts, the book traces the relationship between Conrad and Wells at the close of the nineteenth and the dawn of the twentieth centuries. It offers perspectives on both authors from literary figures like Ford Madox Ford and provides a unique analysis of the temperamental and artistic differences that ultimately caused Conrad and Wells to become estranged. At the same time, Joseph Conrad and H. G. Wells uses critical insights into the works of both authors to trace the ways in which the authors influenced each other's work. What emerges is a clear picture of the literary scene at the fin-de-siecle and consideration of how the English novel was evolving in the opening years of the twentieth century Cover 1 Half-Title 2 Title 4 Copyright 5 Dedication 6 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 Introduction 12 1. Martians, Sleepers, Time Travellers and Hearts of Darkness 21 In the beginning 22 Mutual admiration/mutual influences 31 Reigns of terror: The Invisible Man and Heart of Darkness 37 Serials and books: Heart of Darkness and When the Sleeper Wakes 43 The best stories in the world 45 Conclusion: the art of literary conversations 48 2. Conrad, Wells, Ford and the Ghost of Robert Louis Stevenson 50 Conrad, Wells and the strange case of Robert Louis Stevenson 51 Conrad, Ford, Wells and the problem of collaboration 56 [O]ught to do much better than that': mimicking Stevenson 64 Romance-ing Treasure Island 69 The failure of romance 74 Conclusion 78 3. Quap, Ivory and Insect Empires 80 Tono-Bungay and fraudulent capitalism 81 Tono-Bungay and the art of the novel 85 Quap and ivory: echoes of Conrad 89 Insect hearts of darkness 100 Conclusion 104 4. 'The difference between us': Science, Politics and the Human Factor 106 Politics, war and discovering the future 108 Human folly vs. scientific optimism 114 Politics and war: the Europe question 117 Something human 120 A political duel: Conrad, Wells and Shaw 124 Political differences in the making 129 Temperament, the art of the novel and the question of humanity 133 Conclusion 135 5. Conrad, Wells and the Art of the Novel 142 'Affectations and fashions': literary reputations and new expressions for the novel 143 Nostromo: 'desiccated conglomerate' or modernist masterpiece? 147 'An active, restless, meaning-giving subjectivity': finance and artistry 150 Artistry and temperament: Wells's misgivings 152 Humour, humanity and the art of storytelling 154 A new form for the novel: artist or journalist 163 Politics and the art of the novel 166 The 'New Form' of the novel: aspiring to 'the condition of art' 170 Conrad's 'Author's Note' to The Secret Agent: 'Not to defend. To justify' 174 6. The Shape of War and of Things to Come 180 In the Days of the Comet: sweeping away the past 181 War and Mr Wells 185 Conrad, Ford and The Bulpington of Blup 188 Conrad, Wells and the reality of the war to end wars 193 The shape of literature to come 198 Not with a bang but a whimper' 203 Afterword 206 Notes 209 Bibliography 216 Index 222 "Joseph Conrad and H.G. Wells: The Fin de Siècle Literary Scene is the first sustained examination of the literary friendship between Conrad and Wells. Drawing upon biographies, letters, archival material and a close analysis of texts, the book traces the relationship between Conrad and Wells at the close of the nineteenth and the dawn of the twentieth centuries. It offers perspectives on both authors from literary figures like Ford Madox Ford and provides a unique analysis of the temperamental and artistic differences that ultimately caused Conrad and Wells to become estranged. At the same time, Joseph Conrad and H.G. Wells uses critical insights into the works of both authors to trace the ways in which the authors influenced each other's work. What emerges is a clear picture of the literary scene at the fin-de-siècle and consideration of how the English novel was evolving in the opening years of the twentieth century"-- Provided by publisher Front Matter....Pages i-x Introduction....Pages 1-9 Martians, Sleepers, Time Travellers and Hearts of Darkness....Pages 10-38 Conrad, Wells, Ford and the Ghost of Robert Louis Stevenson....Pages 39-68 Quap, Ivory and Insect Empires....Pages 69-94 ‘The difference between us’: Science, Politics and the Human Factor....Pages 95-130 Conrad, Wells and the Art of the Novel....Pages 131-168 The Shape of War and of Things to Come....Pages 169-194 Afterword....Pages 195-197 Back Matter....Pages 198-216