The Stolen Bacillus, H.G. Wells PDF

**[THE STOLEN BACILLUS, H.G WELLS ]** Well-s socialism in this early period of his career asked for the abolition of class barriers, but also free competition between individuals in society regardless of their social backgrounds. Well\'s ideal society is set out in A Modern Utopia (1905) where in...

**[THE STOLEN BACILLUS, H.G WELLS ]** Well-s socialism in this early period of his career asked for the abolition of class barriers, but also free competition between individuals in society regardless of their social backgrounds. Well\'s ideal society is set out in A Modern Utopia (1905) where in a highly regulated world state all property is owned by the state. Also, he proposes the equality of the sexes. "Man is the unnatural animal, the rebel child of nature, and more and more does he turn himself against the harsh and fitful hand that reared him." He considered himself that the political form that was implicit in modern science was a socialist world state "A great world order that foreshadowed by scientific and industrial progress," making the main theme science fiction. He also engaged with other key struggles such as woman\'s suffrage and he wrote Ann Veronica in 1905. He was also known as a humanist. The Fabian society was a group of socialist intellectuals, but Wells showed his disagreement in the 1880s. Nevertheless, he joined the Fabian Society in 1903. After a while, he thought the society was a "talking shop for middle-class socialists" that did not pursue a "real change". The turning point was when he advocated the payment of mothers, that they would have a salary, and when in 190tuthe Fabian Society refused to adopt this as a policy, he finally resigned. During WWII, he drafted a "Universal Rights of Man" that was published in a letter to the Times. This document helped a lot to develop the Universal declaration of Human right in 1948. He was concerned with civil human rights. H.G Wells began studies in biology and Darwinism under Thomas Henry Hurley, Aldos Hurley\'s grandfather "The Theory of the Species" was very problematic due to his theory of the survival of the strongest. "The Island of Doctor Moreau (1896)", another of Well0s many stories to inspire movie adaptations, deals with themes of eugenics (the ethics of scientific experimentation) Darwin\'s theories and religion. A lot of his stories have made it to cinema. Wells also joined the Socialist Fabian Society and met with playwright George Bernard Shaw who was also a socialist. The Bacteriologist receives a visit in his laboratory. This man is a stranger, but the scientist shows him the cholera bacillus under a microscope and they talk about the disease. The scientist describes the power of cholera and talks about the terrible consequences: an epidemic could be caused into the water supply of London. The visitor leaves, but the scientist realizes the vial of bacteria is missing. He sees the foreigner\'s cab leaving, and takes another cab to give chase. He has indeed stolen the vial. He is an Anarchist who plans to release the bacteria into London\'s water supply. His main motivation was to show the world his power. The stolen Bacillus, asked late Victorian readers to consider what kind of people are responsible for containing these newly discovered life forms. Wells himself was a late-Victorian figure. They describe the anarchist as perhaps Eastern origin, this shows the anxiety the population was feeling at the fin de siècle the foreigner is "pale" and possess a "limp white hand". The other is "Victorianist". The story conflates political, biological and foreign threats to social order, suggest that British technological developments are perhaps becoming as much danger for the safety of the Empire. Wells' story deserves more recognition as it is the first description of elements interested in eliminating the social order attempting to use recent scientific discoveries for murderous purposes. Whereas nineteenth century developments in chemistry paved the way for the use of poisonous gasses during WWI, the use of biological agents had to wait until the 1930s. Nineteenth century anarchists can be compared with today\'s terrorists, just as Victorians society\'s fear of being attacked at any time can be compared with the fears in modern society. However, whereas the possibility of these agents being used in wells\' day was remote, it now seems more likely. Wells\' story remains interesting, because it consideres how scientific discoveries may be used not only for society, but also agaisnt it. It also shows the need for reflection on how contemporary societies view some groups and how murderous acts can be achieved in our societies. The term bioterrorism describes the utilization of biological agents by a group to achieve a political or ideological objective, with its first reference to it being in the Stolen Bacillus. **[NEWS FROM NOWHERE, WILLIAM MORRIS]** Main theme: UTOPIA. Utopia is an imaginary place or government in which political and social perfection has been reached in the material world as opposed to some spiritual afterlife as discussed in the Bible. Morris took an interest in the class division of society. He founded Morris, Marshal Faulkner & Co, decorative arts firm. He influenced interior decoration of the Victorian Period. In 1884, he founded the Socialist League whose cornerstones were proletarian internationalism and world revolution but there is a very similar party called the Social Democratic Federation and they were basically offshore from that Federation. It disappeared in 1901 after the death of Queen Victoria. His aesthetic and moral principles were formed in response to his physical and spiritual environments. His political convictions developed in reaction to the social conditions he encountered. He put all that effort in his art, he was against child exploitation and the cruel labour hours plus the lack of human rights. News From Nowhere, tells a story of an 1890 Englishman who wakes up to a post-revolutionary and post-industrial 21^st^ century England. The new century is organised as an ideal communism, which is a dictatorship of the proletariat. Labour is shared equally and is considered a pleasure rather than a necessary tool with the abolishment of child labour. Parliamentary democracy has given way to informal patterns of corporation. Main character: William Guest - Money has been abolished - Craft work has pushed aside slavery - Contracts of marriage have been replaced by flexible bonds of affection. Human beings' cynical attitude is the resort of those who are too lazy to struggle for more growth. News From Nowhere should provide the antidote. Morris\' generation responded to the pessimism of the age by embracing art over religion which can also be similar to anarchism. The transformation is achieved through a complex dream-vision where the reader is unsure who is speaking from the beginning through the end. Morris uses multiple levels of narrative. News from Nowhere is a political act to wake people\'s minds. **[MRS. WARREN\'S PROFFESSION, BERNARD SHAW]** Themes: Commodification of love; Secrets: Mrs. Warren hides her profession, which was not well seen by society, from her daughter Vivie and the identity of her father in order to keep up appearances; Morality and Immorality. Women relied on marriage or prostitution to survive as they were not able to get a job without good pay. Immorality: A behaviour either mischievous or not that does not go in accordance to society\'s thinking or principles. Bibliography of Bernard Shaw He was very influenced by his mother, developed knowlege of music and art. In 1876, Shaw resolved to become a writer and joined his mother in London, he went to museums, debates to teach himself. He suffered poverty and frustration through his 20s, he failed as a writer during his first years of writing. He then became a socialist, force behind the Fabian Society, probllemist and playwright. In 1925 he won the Nobel Prize in literature. Catharsis: *[The Quintessence of Ibsen's]* - Human will as the driven force behind that creates our will. - Human intellect as the force that directs our will towards idealism or certain goals. - Human ideas and thoughts as the force that creates our will \> destroy ideas and cultivate intellect and implant them. *["Unpleasent" Plays:]* - Three play volume (One was Mrs. Warren\'s Profession - Audience is confronted with social horror - Dramatic picture of middle-class society - Purpose was to make the audiemce feel uncomfortable while entertaining them artistically - Prostitution was a major concern un his society/ Victorian England - The response was punishment - He wanted to find out what the cause of prostitution was which were more economics than with morality. *[Mrs Warren\'s Profession]*: - 4 acts - Written in 1893 - Published in 1898 - Not performed until 1902 due to government censorship - Subject: Organised prostitution - Vivien well educated finds out about her mother - Poverty and a society that allows and constitutes true immorality - Vivien accepts her mother's courage in overcoming her past however rejects her continued involvement Themes in Mrs. Warren's Profession The New woman - Possibility to enter the job market - Wasn't capsulated with an opinion, ex, Praed treats Vivie with anxiety because he never experienced something like this - Chnage rules of gender, equality of opportunities Role of men & Woman - Men: strong, independent, protective, "Father knows best" - Women: submissive, obedient, innocent, pure, family, little childish, "house is habitat" Sentimentality & Practicality - Mrs Warren doesnt want Vivie to know what her job is beacuse she is fond of the victorian standards - Vivie is very practical, both have a sentmental side - Mrs Warren is practical in the sense of her business Privilege & Agency - Privilege job is prostitution because it is a good job with good money - Men are more respected than women, so they don't have the same agency and privilege Commodification of Love - Institution of marriage: prostitution\> institution of sex - Both bring money to survive Secrets - Mrs Warren's Profession - Vivie\'s father - Good to keep up appearances and not get embarrassed **[THE PICTURE OF DORIAN GRAY, OSCAR WILDE]** Wilde, known for his wit and provocative stance, often challenged Victorian values in both his lifestyle and his writings. He adopted roles as both a socialite and an artist, blending high society\'s influences with his penchant for critical commentary. Wilde's works often mocked moral imperatives, societal expectations, and literary norms. **Theatre in the 1890s:** Wilde's contributions to theatre were marked by his use of wit and satire. His plays, including The Importance of Being Earnest, stand out for their commentary on social hypocrisy and pretence. Wilde's dialogue style, characterized by aphoristic statements and wit, often served as a critique of literary and social conventions, embodying his disdain for Victorian rigidity. **The Preface of The Picture of Dorian Gray:** Wilde's preface to his novel The Picture of Dorian Gray presents a series of aphorisms that assert the idea of \"art for art\'s sake.\" This statement emphasizes Wilde\'s belief in the independence of art from moral and social judgments. The preface sets a tone that frames the novel as a work focused on aestheticism rather than ethical or moral lessons. Wilde's stance challenges traditional narratives that intertwine morality with artistic value, reflecting his broader philosophy on art and society. AESTHETICISM MOVEMENT (Art is superior) Walter Baker was one of the founders of this movement. Here beauty cannot be defined in abstract terms only in concrete terms, making it relative. "Beauty in the eye of the beholder". The movement gained momentum in the 1880s as Victorianism was losing precedence and being replaced by aesthetic values over morality, this era was called fin-de-siècle. This movement denounced the sober morality and middle-class values of the Victorian Age and embraced beauty. Beauty was the main pursuit in Art and Life - Art should be independent from any worldly issue - Art should be appreciated for its intrinsic beauty and separated from any moral purposed - Art should not be interpreted as historical evidence - In essence, Wilde's work and preface to Dorian Gray exemplify his artistic credo that art need not serve a moral purpose, instead focusing on beauty, irony, and the challenge of societal norms. His legacy in literature is that of a provocateur who used satire and wit to question the very foundations of Victorian society. Philistine -\> deprecates art. This was the reaction to the industrialisation in England and how the landscape was affected. The aesthetes work on art that were towards people\'s sense. Baudelaire was a symbolist, yet he was very important to the movement as he inspired authors like Oscar Wilde. His poems were full of sexual content including lesbians. This created a huge impact during this era and gained lots of attention for iy, mostly negative attention as it went against most morals. Art isn't superior to life because life has to resort to art in order to find expression and beauty. -- According to Wilde. Aesthetes re-established the Greek concept of hedonism, to seek pleasure from not having problems, as the purpose of life. Therefore they became infamous for their passion and excess in the forms of sensuality and sexuality, making it an addiction. **[ENGLISH MODERNISM -- first quarter of the 20^th^ century]** Art and morals are a concern for modernists. In this era they\'ll deal with changes from the Victorian ideologies, per example the "angel of the house" which were the housewives during the Victorian era, late-Victorianism and modernism but in this last one is where they try to break away from these views. Queen Victoria dies in 1901 which causes the end of the Victorian period. She was the example for the Empire, so her canons began to fade. Modernism is a many fold term, implying several, sometimes even contradictory elements and including different trends and radical changes in literature, making them not satifised with just single definitions. The modernist period in English literature was first and foremost a reaction against the Victorian culture and aesthetic, which had prevailed for most of the 19^th^ century. There was a break with traditions and intellectuals and artists at the turn of the 20^th^ century believed the previous generation\'s way of doing things was a cultural dead end. There is a set of pictures which could be applied to the modern novel. Disruption of Aristotelian categories: modern is literature undermines the traditional conventions of the novel like a well-defined plot line development and characterisation shifts from the realistic to the symbolic. One Modernist issue is the realization that the self does not exist as a unified entity\> Lawrence, Woolf and Joyce rejected the notion of essential self of a fix and stable identity, An idea of self can be fully defined and fully analysed. The new focus of interest will not be on characters and facts, but on feelings and impressions , (which claim no validity as facts). If there is a built-in modernist novels, it should be called a "psychological-plot" that point of interest being very likely in the dark places of the psychic. In this sense, a prominent literary critic has defined modernism as a spirit of psychological analysis. Openness attitude to the new changes to come with multiple identities. Modernism, introduce a new kind of narration to the novel one that would fundamentally change the entire essence of level of writing. the unreliable narrator supplanted, the omniscient and readers were forced to question over the most basic assumptions about how the novel should operate. James Joyce\'s Ulysses is the prime example of a novel whose events are really happenings of the mind, the goal, which is to translate as well as possible the strange pathways of human consciousness. This new emphasis of the inner life entails a reduction of action in modernist nnovel: When we read them, we often have impression That little happens in them. Action and events never fully materialise, and this absence of events reflects on the contemporary sense of irony, a refusal to make events the motivation of reading. Modern fiction, then, is considered with consciousness and subconsciousness. That is why the structure of external events of traditional fiction is diminished or presented in an oblique way. Instead we have introspective analysis, reflection, allusions, evocations, suggestions and dreams. in consequence, the structure of time that has to change to adapt itself to the requirements of the new focus of interest. A STREAM OF CONSCIOUSNESS WITH THE INTERIOR MONOLOGUE. Virginia Wolf moments of being she describes this stream-of-consciousness as a way to express dreams, evocations and illusions without punctuation, a structure, only ideas without a connection, sometimes incoherent, feelings is all disconnect. Temporality: narrative unavoidably has to deal with time, But it modernist literature, time has to do again not to with external reality but rather the fluctuations of the inner life. It\'s more creative notion of time, more appropriate to comprehend the complexity of modern experience , which is less logical, more incoherent and fragmentary in our appreciations of reality. For nineteenth century novelists, time is the medium in which people grow and develop. It is a logical time, it implies that individual lives make coherent sense. In modernist writing, however, the normal temporality (with beginning, middle, and end), is usually frustrated. Temporality is not linear, progressive, entity but psychic and repetitive or cyclical: modernist writers substitute the logic of traditional plot for the internal logic of metaphors, symbols and images. Historical time is not completely absent, but is is combined with the time of subjectivity. What modernism does is to raise the notion not only of significant form but also of significant time, which responds to the desire to reappraise the operations of the mind. This notion of temporality suggests the idea that contemporary experience resists coherent temporal order. It also reflects the new preoccupations of the age: the importance of the psychic and the subconscious, which is being underlined by Freud, Jung, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard. Sometimes we even have the multiplication of narrators, which is another sign of the decline of "realism": as narrators are multiplied or made suspect, evidence becomes hearsay empirism becomes relativism, facts becomes interpretations. Also typical of the modern novel is the exploitation of the unreliable writers which is also an aspect of the author's desire to make the reader participate in the work.