Time machine: Utopia or Science Fiction

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject Didactics - English - Literature, Works, grade: 3,0, University of Trier, language: English, abstract: This term paper deals with the question which literary genre does The Time Machine by H.G. Wells fits best into. Should it be seen as a dystopian novel or should it be rather classified as a science fictional one and why is it so hard to classify?As the novel shows characteristics for either genres, the novel has to be analysed accurately. In order do so and find an answer to the main question I will point out and examine relevant passages in the text which will help classifying Wells work. Therefore, it is essential to first of all define both literary genres. These definitions are to include the origin of the genre, main characteristics as well as appropriate background information. As already mentioned, the definitions will be followed by an in-depth analysis of significant text passages. Finally, my conclusion is intended to sum up the most important findings and aims to present a classification based on the analysis in the main part.