Investigation of Apocalyptic Features in the War of the Worlds by Wells

Authors : Ercan Gürova

Pages : 248-261

Doi:10.46250/kulturder.1368437

View : 107 | Download : 75

Publication Date : 2023-12-10

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :H. G. Wells’s The War of the Worlds is considered to be the first literary recount of the invasion of Earth by outsiders and it is one of the first major literary texts that contain powerful apocalyptic imagery. To this end, this paper first aims to provide a general overview of the apocalypse concept and apocalyptic theory based on Frank Kermode’s prominent work entitled The Sense of an Ending, and then to investigate the apocalyptic features of The War of the Worlds accordingly. The investigation of the apocalyptic features in The War of the Worlds shows that Wells’s novel corresponds to Kermode’s apocalyptic pattern to a great extent. As far as the apocalyptic images are concerned, the novel provides rich and various examples of terror and panic along with depictions of the destruction of the landscape. Therefore, it can be suggested that The War of the Worlds fits the definition of an apocalypse which describes the actual end of the world. In other words, the novel presents a mostly divine apocalypse as there are no human attempts or successes involved in saving the world and establishing a new order.
Keywords : Dünyalar Savaşı, H G Wells, kıyamet, yıkım, son

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