The Dream: A Novel
1924
The Dream is a 1924 novel by H. G. Wells that explores the life of Harry Mortimer Smith, an Englishman from the Victorian and Edwardian eras, through vivid dreams. The narrative intertwines realities, revealing insights into existence, societal collapse, and human relationships. As Smith's dreams blur the line between past and present, the story reflects on the tragedies of war and the potential for humanity to emerge from an 'Age of Confusion' through science and reason. This work is notable for its exploration of utopian themes and the nature of memory.
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“It is love and reason,' I said,'fleeing from all the madness of war.””
— H. G. Wells
“We are but phantoms, and the phantoms of phantoms, desires like cloud-shadows and wills of straw that eddy in the wind; the days pass, use and wont carry us through as a train carries the shadow of its lights - so be it! But one thing is real and certain, one thing is no dream-stuff, but eternal and enduring. It is the centre of my life, and all other things about it are subordinate or altogether vain. I loved her, that woman of a dream. And she and I are dead together!””
— H. G. Wells
“A darkness, a flood of darkness that opened and spread and blotted out all things.””
— H. G. Wells
