H. G. Wells, The Invisible Man

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The Invisible Man: A Grotesque Romance

was serialised in

Pearson's Weekly

in June and July 1897 and published in book form in September 1897. Following

The Time Machine

(1895) and

The Island of Doctor Moreau

(1896),

The Invisible Man

is the third of Wells's “scientific romances” (the term the author himself later used to describe his early scientific fantasises), and the first that is set in a recognisable social context.

The story begins with the arrival of a mysterious stranger in the village of Iping. The stranger rents the parlour at the Coach and Horses, an inn owned by Mrs Hall. Mrs Hall is startled to discover that the stranger's face is covered in bandages. She is curious to learn the cause of her guest's bandaged condition, but her conversational advances towards him are

2022 words

Citation: McLean, Steven. "The Invisible Man". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 12 March 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=493, accessed 28 March 2024.]

493 The Invisible Man 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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