H. G. Wells Questions and Answers
H. G. Wells
What is a summary of the story "The Magic Shop"?
The narrator and his son, Gip, happen upon a magic shop. Through the window of the shop, they see lots of "alluring little objects" such as "magic balls, magic hens, wonderful cones, [and]...
H. G. Wells
What is the theme of "The Stolen Bacillus," and how is it relevant in present times?
I think this short story has a couple of themes that are applicable in today's society and culture. The first deals with the science itself. "The Stolen Bacillus" presents readers with a scientist...
H. G. Wells
What is a summary of "The Valley of Spiders"?
The story opens with three "pursuers" trying to track down a group of escaped slaves. They happen upon an eerie and desolate valley. In fact, one of the riders contemplates for a long time that the...
H. G. Wells
Briefly explain what happens to the narrator in "The Red Room" and indicate if the ghost is responsible or not.
Somewhat foolishly, as it turns out, the narrator decides to spend the night in the eponymous red room, which is located in a big old scary castle. Even those who don't consider themselves...
H. G. Wells
Explain the symbolism in the short story "The Beautiful Suit" by H.G. Wells. What is the meaning of the story?
There are a number of distinct symbols in H.G. Wells’ short story “The Beautiful Suit” that contribute to its meaning. The most obvious symbol is the “beautiful suit” itself. The mother insists the...
H. G. Wells
Please give me a summary of the story "The Stolen Bacillus" by H.G. Wells.
"The Stolen Bacillus" is a short satire that focuses on the role of science in human society, making it thematically similar to many of Wells' other works. The story begins with a bacteriologist...
H. G. Wells
Describe two tricks that the shopkepeer performed for Gip and his father.
H.G. Wells' short story The Magic Shop tells the story of Gip and his father's strange visit to the eponymous store. Attracted by the items displayed in the window, Gip implores his father to enter...
H. G. Wells
Find the humor in the story "The Stolen Bacillus."
In "The Stolen Bacillus" by H.G. Wells there is humor because of the dramatic irony that occurs at various points in the story. Dramatic irony occurs when the audience has more insight about the...
H. G. Wells
What is a summary of the story "The Stolen Bacillus" by H. G. Wells?
When the story opens, we are in the home lab of a bacteriologist. The bacteriologist has a visitor, a “pale-faced man” with “lank black hair and deep grey eyes…[a] haggard expression and nervous...
H. G. Wells
Can someone please help me understand the story "The Star" by H.G. Wells?
I think an interesting approach to understanding H.G. Wells’s short story “The Star” (1897) is by paying particularly close attention to its beginning and end. After launching us straight into the...
H. G. Wells
What is the theme of the story "The Stolen Bacillus" by H.G. Wells?
One distinct theme of this story is that things are not always as they appear. At the beginning of the story we are introduced to our two main characters: a bacteriologist working in a lab in...
H. G. Wells
What is a character sketch of the Anarchist in the story "The Stolen Bacillus" by H. G. Wells?
At the beginning of the story the Anarchist is described repeatedly as "pale-faced," and also as "haggard," which suggests illness, tiredness or lifelessness. Only when he speaks of the deadly...
H. G. Wells
Why did the narrator not want to go to the showroom of the magic shop in "The Magic Shop" by H. G. Wells?
In H. G. Wells's short story "The Magic Shop," the narrator and his son pass by what looks like a toy store that features articles said to be of magic. Led by little Gip, the narrator enters the...
H. G. Wells
Name and explain three themes of "The Red Room" by H. G. Wells.
At the beginning of the story the narrator describes his elderly "custodians" as "crouching and atavistic." He says also that there is, to his mind, "something inhuman in senility." The narrator...
H. G. Wells
How does the "pale-faced man" gain access to the Bacteriologist and his laboratory in "The Stolen Bacillus" by H. G....
In "The Stolen Bacillus," the "pale-faced man" is an anarchist who gains access to the Bacteriologist's laboratory by means of deception. He does this by forging a "letter of introduction" which...
H. G. Wells
The Stolen Bacillus
H.G. Wells's "The Stolen Bacillus" is a satirical short story about the potential role of science and scientists in facilitating bio-terrorism. This is done by having a very intelligent...
H. G. Wells
What does Gip's father do when he cannot find the door or the magic shop?
In H. G. Wells's short story “The Magic Shop,” the narrator and his young son, Gip, go on quite an adventure when they enter into a mysterious magic shop. They witness all kinds of magic performed...
H. G. Wells
Analyze the exploration of science in H. G. Wells's “The Star.”
Science figures prominently in H. G. Wells’s story “The Star” but is not always shown in a positive light. Initially, the unnamed third-person narrator implies that scientific knowledge is beyond...
H. G. Wells
The Stolen Bacillus Theme
"The Stolen Bacillus" by H.G. Wells is a satiric short story about the potential dangers posed by the world of science. Satire is using humor or wit as a form of ridicule which exposes flaws or...
H. G. Wells
What are the themes of “The Red Room” by H. G. Wells?
The most prominent theme in the “The Red Room” is fear. In fact, the narrator’s sole purpose for being at Lorraine Castle is to challenge the reputation of the room that has caused everyone to fear...
H. G. Wells
How is "The Stolen Bacillus" by H.G. Wells a chilling satire on the dangers of science?
H.G. Well's short story "The Stolen Bacillus" is not so much a chilling satire of the dangers of science but rather a chilling satire of the way in which future scientists may serve as the enablers...
H. G. Wells
Discuss "The Stolen Bacillus" as a science fiction story.
"The Stolen Bacillus" belongs to the genre of science fiction and, to understand why, it is useful to look at a relevant definition. According to the University of California, for example, a...
H. G. Wells
How would you describe what happens to the narrator in "The Red Room"?
The narrator of H. G. Wells’s “The Red Room” agrees to spend a night alone in a room that has the reputation of being haunted. Because he does not believe in spirits, he intends to prove that the...
H. G. Wells
Analyze H. G. Wells's "The Star" in terms of its exploration of science.
When analyzing "The Star," I suspect the most important question that could guide your thinking on the subject is this: how does H. G. Wells view science in the story? More basically, does he view...
H. G. Wells
Please explain how H.G. Wells makes use of tension and fear to make "The Stolen Bacillus" a chilling satire on the...
Satire is a technique used by writers to criticize/ridicule mankind and/or his institutions. Satire specifically uses humor in order to perform the ridicule and point out flaws or faults. The...
H. G. Wells
In "The Stolen Bacillus," how does the author bring out the contrast between the Bacteriologist and the Anarchist?...
I think one way that the narrator contrasts the Anarchist and the Bacteriologist is by focusing quite a bit on the Anarchist's physical traits. We are told repeatedly that the Anarchist is...
H. G. Wells
What are the main key values of The Time Machine from H.G. Wells?
One value that is embedded in the work is the idea of making the world a better place. Wells is a Progressive thinker. The construction of a time machine that enables the individual view the...
H. G. Wells
H.G. Wells The War of the Worlds, people's fear and confidence in science Well's tension during 19th c (and present)...
It's difficult to understand the question as presently written. If this is an assignment you have been given by a teacher, might it be possible to get the teacher to put the question in writing?...
H. G. Wells
Do you consider the Anarchist in "The Stolen Bacillus" by H. G. Wells to be the victim of a prank?
In "The Stolen Bacillus," the Anarchist is not the victim of a deliberate prank, in the traditional sense. In fact, the Bacteriologist has no idea that his visitor is an anarchist who intends to...
H. G. Wells
Why does the stranger not want to be disturbed by anyone?
The stranger in The Invisible Man is Griffin. Griffin is a scientist who has successfully created an elixir which he uses on himself to become invisible. However, he quickly realizes that being...
H. G. Wells
How did the Bacteriologist know that the man who visited him was an anarchist, in the story "The Stolen Bacillus?"
A major portion of that story is focused on showing readers that scientists are so absorbed in their work that they don't anticipate its possible missuses. In other words, the story is stating...
H. G. Wells
In what book by H.G. Wells does the following quote appear: "I would as soon think of cooling my throat with the...
This quote appears in Wells's Secret Places of the Heart. This autobiographical novel features Sir Richmond Hardy, an English gentleman who is having marital problems and traveling the countryside....
H. G. Wells
What are the similarities in the nature of the bacteriologist and the anarchist in the story 'The Stolen Bacillus' by...
If there is a similarity between the two, it lies in their both living in a kind of rarefied world of their own design, cut off in some way from other people. The bacteriologist is the typical...