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Герберт Джордж Уэллс

The Invisible Man. B2 / Человек-невидимка

© Шишкова И. А. , адаптация текста, словарь, упражнения, 2024

© ООО «Издательство АСТ», 2024

Herbert George Wells

Herbert George Wells (H. G. Wells, 1866–1946), the famous English novelist, is best known for his science fiction novels, such as The Time Machine (1895), The Invisible Man (1897), The War of the Worlds (1898), and comic books Tono-Bungay (1909) and The History of Mr. Polly (1910). Wells was not only a writer of rich imagination and extraordinary ideas, but a journalist and a sociologist.

Despite the constant threat of poverty in his youth, Wells won a scholarship to study biology at the Normal School of Science (later the Royal College in London) and in 1888 graduated from London University to become a science teacher. His early masterpieces of science fiction combine fantasy, science and reality.

Wells was a socialist by his convictions, and in his works he treated people from unprivileged backgrounds with great sympathy and understanding. They do not have the false sense of superiority that Griffin or Dr. Kemp have in the novel The Invisible Man. This novel about an ambitious young scientist has unexpected plot twists and poses many moral questions to readers. It is not surprising that it has been enormously popular among them for more than 100 years.

Before-Reading Questions

Before you start reading the first chapter of the novel, answer the following questions:

What role does science play in the lives of each of us?

Do scientific discoveries imply benefits or losses for society? Do you agree that scientific research should be controlled and, if necessary, limited to avoid threats to mankind?

How does the scientist's personality influence his career?

Does a scientist need such traits as honesty, responsibility and integrity?

What moral choices does a scientist often face?

Сhapter 1

The Strange Man's Arrival

The stranger came early in February, one winter day, through a biting wind and heavy snow.

He walked from Bramblehurst railway station, carrying a little black portmanteau in his gloved hand. He was wrapped up from head to foot, and his soft felt hat hid every inch of his face but the shiny tip of his nose. The snow was on his shoulders and chest, and the luggage he carried. He staggered into the “Coach and Horses”, more dead than alive, and flung his portmanteau down. “A fire,” he cried, “A room and a fire!” He stamped his foot and shook the snow off himself in the bar, and followed Mrs. Hall into her guest parlour.

Mrs. Hall lit the fire and left him there while she went to prepare his meal. A guest at Iping in the wintertime was an unheard piece of luck, and she was resolved to do her best to please him. She brought the cloth, plates, and glasses and began to lay the table. Although it was warm in the room, she was surprised to see that her visitor still wore his hat and coat. His seemed to be lost in thought. Mrs. Hall noticed that the melted snow dripped upon her carpet. “Can I take your hat and coat, sir,” she said, “and give them a good dry in the kitchen?”