The Time Machine Questions

 In class today my professor gave us some questions to answer as follows:

Why might a science of time be important for Well's Victorians, his late nineteenth-century readers? What are the larger implications of the science of time, that is, beyond sci-fi and science proper?

A science of time would be particularly interesting due to the already deep interest in scientific advancement at the time. It also forces people to think about the implications of their actions; in the Victorian era I imagine that many people did not really think about the consequences of things like pollution because at the time the information was not readily available or even really known. Writing about the science of time gets people thinking about the perspective of those before us and after us. 

Wells presents his story via a frame narrative. In what sense does that writerly choice help Well's account of time travel?

A frame narrative is an effective method of storytelling for the Time Machine specifically due to its overarching theme and ideas of time travel. The narrator is already telling a story that is seemingly cold and far away due to the uncertainty of time travel, but by telling this story as a story within a story, Wells invites the reader in as if they too, are sitting at the table listening to this tale firsthand. It also aids in the aspect of context; the reader gets the "modern" context of society when the story is told, furthering Wells' critique of Victorian culture. 

Consider the Time Traveler's speculative description of the Eloi in Chapter 4. What might Wells be suggesting about his own and future citizenry, and why?

The Time Traveler's description of the Eloi acts almost as a warning to those reading the story and those listening to it within the story itself. The Eloi have short attention spans with little interest in most things, and with this novel being written during the Industrial Evolution one can deduce that Wells' own fears of industrialization seep through the Eloi's description. It is clear that with Industrialization Wells fears that people will lose the thing that makes us people: passion.