From Dystopia to Utopia

Tonal Shifts and Perspective Change in H. G. Wells's The Food of the Gods

Abstract

Many science fction novels discuss either utopian or dystopian ideas. H.G. Wells’s novel, The Food of the Gods, is unique in that it addresses both. This paper argues that H.G. Wells’ s use of tonal shifts in The Food of the Gods signals a change from a dystopian society to a utopian one. Human refusal to adopt inevitable  evolutionary change creates the former, while a superior race’s acceptance of it promises hope for an ever-improving future.