Literary Criticism on The Star by H.G. Wells Research Paper - 1

Literary Criticism on The Star by H.G. Wells - Research Paper Example   Both of them along with Jules Verne and Hugo Gernsback has been referred to as "The Fathers of Science Fiction". They have always been at the forefront of scientific thinking, they challenged the traditional and conservative views of many people who rejected the advanced and innovative research ideas and stubbornly followed old, outdated conceptions of the universe, the origin of man and the so-called â€Å"higher divine power.† In this work, we will make an attempt to reflect the points of view of both writers to the power of human thought, the role of science in the modern world, as well as the growing conflict between traditional religious beliefs and progressive scientific views. The objects of this essay are the novels â€Å"The Star† by H.G. Wells and â€Å"The Star† by Arthur C. Clarke. â€Å"The Star† by H.G. Wells is an apocalyptic short story written in 1897. It tells us that one day all mankind of the Earth was notified about the penetration of a new star into the solar system. Having disturbed the normal orbit of the planet Neptune, the star quickly approaches the Earth. At first, this fact concerns only astronomers, other people all around the world continue their everyday life not paying much attention to the unknown star. A famous master mathematician publishes his calculations according to which â€Å"the star would either hit Earth or pass by at close proximity, which would lead to apocalyptic ecological consequences† (Wells). The terrible prognoses come true and soon the whole planet is overwhelmed with earthquakes, ice-melting, floods, tsunamis causing â€Å"the devastation across the world. Most of the human population perishes, and its works remain unusable, cities, cathedrals, farms, etc. and when it seems that nothing can save the humanity the killing star suddenly slightly changes its orbit about the Earth to a more distant one† (Wells).