Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island
A novel of hallucination, cannibals, and recovery.
Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island is a 1928 novel by H. G. Wells. It entered the public domain in the United States in 2024.
Quick Facts
- Author
- H. G. Wells
- Illustrator
- George Picken
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Publisher
- Ernest Benn (UK); Doubleday Doran (US)
- Released
- 1928
- Pages
- 347
Facts from the source article.
Plot summary
Arnold Blettsworthy, from a genteel family prominent in the south and west of England, loses both parents early and is raised in Cheltenham by an aunt and a liberal Anglican uncle. An Oxford education leaves his Edwardian worldview intact until his best friend Graves and his mistress Olive Slaughter betray him in business and love. The family solicitor Ferndyke advises travel to recover from disillusionment threatening his sanity. Blettsworthy embarks for Pernambuco and Rio de Janeiro on the tramp steamer Golden Lion, but the captain and crew take a disliking to him. When the vessel founders off Brazil, a mutiny leads the captain to lock Blettsworthy in a cabin to perish. He survives by being captured by cannibals who take him to Rampole Island, where he becomes the sacred lunatic of a Neolithic tribe with surviving megatheria. The sage Chit uses Blettsworthy's advanced ideas strategically, but when Blettsworthy loves a woman desired by military chief Ardam, he becomes an outcast. He seems about to die but awakens in New York City with Rowena and Dr. Minchett, a psychoanalyst, having lived through an extended hallucinatory psychotic episode. World War I has broken out; Blettsworthy enlists as a private, loses a leg, forgives Graves, and is encouraged to devote his life to the general advance of mankind.
Composition and reception
Like The Autocracy of Mr. Parham and The Bulpington of Blup, this novel sold less well than Wells's earlier works and is among his least read books, according to biographer David Smith. After its publication, publishers began haggling with Wells over advances and serial rights. Eileen Power called the novel absolutely first class. Brian Ash described it as an early example of psychological science fiction, a precursor of the inner space genre.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who published Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island?
Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island was published by Ernest Benn (UK) and Doubleday Doran (US).
Who illustrated Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island?
Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island was illustrated by George Picken.
How many pages is Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island?
Mr. Blettsworthy on Rampole Island has 347 pages.
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