The H.G. Wells Society Conference 2008

The H.G. Wells Society is holding its 2008 annual conference this Saturday, September 20, 2008, at Queen Mary University of London.

The theme of the conference is “H.G. Wells: Wells and War” and the programme includes a presentation titled “My Favorite Martian or Mars Attacks? Alien Confrontations in H.G. Wells and George Du Maurier” by Professor Genie Babb of the University of Alaska Anchorage:

“Michael Walzer, in his classic work of political philosophy Just
and Unjust Wars (1977) notes common patterns in how enemy combatants view each other. ... What happens, however, when the enemy combatant is equally intelligent but totally alien in body and culture? ... How would alien minds and bodies compare to humans, would they be more or less advanced intellectually, morally, technologically; would they be humanoid or some other form? Most importantly--would "they" get along with "us"?

In this paper, I examine these questions through the contradictory figure of the Martian found in George Du Maurier's The Martian (1897) and H.G. Wells's The Crystal Egg (1897) and The War of the Worlds (1897-1898). These authors exemplify two widely divergent approaches to embodiment, despite the fact that both men were secular non-Christians, committed to Darwinism. ..."

Wonder if Professor Babb will play the song “Us And Them” from Pink Floyd’s album The Dark Side of the Moon in memory of late band member Richard Wright?