The Island of Dr. Moreau

The Island of Doctor Moreau is an 1896 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells. When the novel was written in the late 19th century (1896), European society was absorbed with concerns about degeneration, and Britain's scientific community was engulfed by debates on animal vivisection. Interest groups were even formed to tackle the issue: the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection was formed two years after the publication of the nove... more

The Island of Doctor Moreau is an 1896 science fiction novel written by H. G. Wells. When the novel was written in the late 19th century (1896), European society was absorbed with concerns about degeneration, and Britain's scientific community was engulfed by debates on animal vivisection. Interest groups were even formed to tackle the issue: the British Union for the Abolition of Vivisection was formed two years after the publication of the novel. It begins with the protagonist, an upper class gentleman named Edward Prendick, finding himself shipwrecked in the ocean. A passing ship takes him aboard, and a doctor named Montgomery revives him. He explains to Prendick that they are bound for an unnamed island where he works, and that the animals aboard the ship are traveling with him. Prendick also meets a grotesque, bestial native named M'ling, who appears to be Montgomery's manservant. When they arrive on the island, however, both the captain of the ship and Doctor Montgomery refuse... less