The War of the Wheels

H. G. Wells and the Bicycle

Nonfiction, Sports, Cycling, Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, British
Cover of the book The War of the Wheels by Jeremy Withers, Syracuse University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Jeremy Withers ISBN: 9780815654032
Publisher: Syracuse University Press Publication: April 13, 2017
Imprint: Syracuse University Press Language: English
Author: Jeremy Withers
ISBN: 9780815654032
Publisher: Syracuse University Press
Publication: April 13, 2017
Imprint: Syracuse University Press
Language: English

Amid apocalyptic invasions and time travel, one common machine continually appears in H. G. Wells’s works: the bicycle. From his scientific romances and social comedies, to utopias, futurological speculations, and letters, Wells’s texts abound with bicycles. In The War of the Wheels, Withers examines this mode of transportation as both something that played a significant role in Wells’s personal life and as a literary device for creating elaborate characters and complex themes.
Withers traces Wells’s ambivalent relationship with the bicycle throughout his writing. While he celebrated it as a singular and astonishing piece of technology, and continued to do so long after his contemporaries abandoned their enthusiasm for the bicycle, he was not an unwavering promoter of this machine. Wells acknowledged the complex nature of cycling, its contribution to a growing dependence on and fetishization of technology, and its role in humanity’s increasing sense of superiority. Moving into the twenty-first century, Withers reflects on how the works of H. G. Wells can serve as a valuable locus for thinking through many of our current issues and problems related to transportation, mobility, and sustainability.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Amid apocalyptic invasions and time travel, one common machine continually appears in H. G. Wells’s works: the bicycle. From his scientific romances and social comedies, to utopias, futurological speculations, and letters, Wells’s texts abound with bicycles. In The War of the Wheels, Withers examines this mode of transportation as both something that played a significant role in Wells’s personal life and as a literary device for creating elaborate characters and complex themes.
Withers traces Wells’s ambivalent relationship with the bicycle throughout his writing. While he celebrated it as a singular and astonishing piece of technology, and continued to do so long after his contemporaries abandoned their enthusiasm for the bicycle, he was not an unwavering promoter of this machine. Wells acknowledged the complex nature of cycling, its contribution to a growing dependence on and fetishization of technology, and its role in humanity’s increasing sense of superiority. Moving into the twenty-first century, Withers reflects on how the works of H. G. Wells can serve as a valuable locus for thinking through many of our current issues and problems related to transportation, mobility, and sustainability.

More books from Syracuse University Press

Cover of the book Bigger than Ben-Hur by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book In the Shadow of Kinzua by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book Sports Business Unplugged by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book Revolutionary Damnation by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book National Elections in Turkey by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book The Rotinonshonni by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book Relocated Memories by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book Waiting For America by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book Interpreters of Occupation by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book Remapping Modern Germany after National Socialism, 1945-1961 by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book Humor and Nonviolent Struggle in Serbia by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book Felâtun Bey and Râkim Efendi by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book Performing Democracy in Iraq and South Africa by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book Yom Kippur in Amsterdam by Jeremy Withers
Cover of the book Beyond Home Plate by Jeremy Withers
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy