\u27A Sort of Parricide\u27: H.G. Wells and the Making of George Orwell

George Orwell and H. G. Wells, both of whom have been dead now for nearly six decades, remain among the most popular and widely read authors in twentieth century English literature. At the same time, both men have become the foci of scholarly industries devoted to their life, thought, and work. Despite the fact that Orwell and Wells shared a number of significant literary, political, and even personal connections, relatively few Orwell or Wells scholars have bothered to examine them. As a result of this scholarly inattention, the nature and significance of Orwell\u27s relationship with Wells have long been obscured and underappreciated. Redressing this scholarly shortcoming is the primary objective of this thesis. Much of what Orwell wrote and argued was filtered through the lens of his appreciation for Wells\u27s thought and work. Orwell, who described himself as Wells\u27s own creation, even modeled much of his own literary career upon that of Wells. At the same time, Orwell became an outspoken critic of Wells\u27s eschatological, utopian worldview. For instance, Orwell\u27s final novel, Nineteen Eighty-Four, emulated Wells\u27s Edwardian utopian novels even as it mocked the very ideals that Wells had long regarded as the apotheosis of his life\u27s work. Ultimately, the relationship between Orwell and Wells hinges upon a sort of parricide, to use Orwell\u27s phrase for his attack upon a number of key Wellsian ideas and ideals. This being said, Orwell\u27s parricide was not as simple as the toppling of a childhood idol, nor was it in any way indicative of a complete break with his Wellsian heritage. This thesis examines the nuances of this ambivalent, conflicted process