Autumn Art Lectures 2014: Sir Christopher Frayling on H G Wells: Mr Britling sees it Through, The Shape of Things to Come, Mind at the End of its Tether

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Autumn Art Lectures 2014: Sir Christopher Frayling on H G Wells: Mr Britling sees it Through, The Shape of Things to Come, Mind at the End of its Tether

By University of Bristol

Date and time

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 18:00 - 19:00 GMT

Location

Wills Memorial Building, Queen's Road, Bristol, BS8 1RJ BS8 1RJ United Kingdom

Description

Maxim Gorky described H G Wells’ novel Mr Britling Sees it Through (1916) ‘as the finest, most courageous, truthful, and humane book written in Europe in the course of this accursed war’. It tells the story of an ordinary, easy-going man whose response to the war changes as he comes to realise that those he loves are in danger. Wells’ The Shape of Things to Come (1933) has come to be seen as a prophecy of the horrors of Second World War and its aftermath, while Mind at the End of Its Tether (1945) was written in the wake of that conflict and is imbued with a spirit of despair. Christopher Frayling examines these works - with special reference to the film version of Things to Come (1936) made between the two conflicts - which explore the devastating impact of war upon humanity, and Wells’ vision for the future.

Biography:

Sir Christopher Frayling is the former Rector of the Royal College of Art and a former Chairman of Arts Council England. He is well-known as an historian, critic and an award-winning broadcaster, with his work appearing regularly on radio and television. He has published books and numerous articles on contemporary art, design, film and the history of ideas including Sergio Leone: Once Upon a Time in Italy; Mad, Bad and Dangerous?: The Scientist and the Cinema; and Horace Walpole’s Cat.

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