The Coming Race by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
"The Coming Race" is a novel that follows the journey of a young American who discovers an advanced underground civilization known as the Vril-ya. This society possesses a powerful energy called "vril," which enables them to perform extraordinary feats such as flying, healing, and controlling machines. The narrator's initial excitement turns to fear as he realizes that the Vril-ya view those without vril power, including himself, as "barbarians." Throughout the story, the narrator grapples with the Vril-ya's unique societal structures, including their benevolent dictatorship and the equality afforded to women, which contrasts sharply with his own democratic values.
The narrative blends elements of satire and social commentary, reflecting the complexities of power dynamics, gender roles, and cultural superiority. As the narrator becomes more entrenched in Vril-ya society, he faces the ultimate challenge of being perceived as a threat to their race, leading to a climactic struggle for his survival. The book's conclusion foreshadows the rise of a "coming race," prompting readers to consider the implications of civilization and the potential consequences of unchecked advancement. Overall, "The Coming Race" invites contemplation on the nature of progress and the distinctions between cultures.
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The Coming Race
First published: 1871
Type of work: Novel
Type of plot: Science fiction—cultural exploration
Time of work: The mid-to late nineteenth century
Locale: The subterranean world of the Vril-ya
The Plot
The Coming Race describes a young American’s adventures among the Vril-ya, an underground civilization far more advanced than his own. Sometimes the “utopian” Vril-ya society is the object of satire; at other times, the narrator himself is the object. Published anonymously, the book was written at the end of Edward Bulwer-Lytton’s career, five years after he became a peer. His political outlook by that time was decidedly conservative.
The narrator, who never gives his real name, descends a chasm in a mine shaft to the Vril-ya world. “The engineer,” his only companion, falls to his death, and his body is carried off by a giant reptile, leaving the narrator alone and with no way to return to the surface. Subsequently, he encounters Aph-Lin, who will be his host among the Vril-ya. Using the powerful force called vril, which has a telepathic component, Aph-Lin and his daughter, Zee, teach the narrator their language and learn his. They refer to him as Tish, the term for the frogs kept by children as pets. This is his position among the Vril-ya, against whose power he is helpless.
The narrator relates such aspects of Vril-ya culture as the use of vril, the “fluid” that allows the Vril-ya to fly, to control automata that perform manual labor, to heal, and to destroy. Vril literally denotes civilization. Underground societies that do not possess vril power are considered barbaric, and the narrator, who lacks the evolved nerve needed to operate a vril wand, identifies with them. Consequently, he fears for his safety, as the Vril-ya will not hesitate to destroy the “barbarians” should they prove to be a threat or an inconvenience. The capacity of the Vril-ya for impassive destruction becomes apparent when eleven-year-old Tae, the narrator’s closest friend and nearest equal among the Vril-ya, dispassionately incinerates a reptile, which the Vril-ya also consider a threat to their community.
The narrator also resembles the “barbarians” in that he is the citizen of a democracy, a system the Vril-ya believe civilized cultures have outgrown. Because vril gives even the smallest child the power of mass destruction, rule among the Vril-ya is a matter of consensus. No one thinks of challenging the requests of the leader, an elected, benevolent dictator called the Tur. Tae’s father currently holds that office. Political power, like wealth, is more an obligation than a privilege. Although economic inequality persists, the rich are expected to provide for the poor, and wealth does not affect social status.
The equality the Vril-ya accord to all occupations also extends to the rights of women. Because they are considered to be more emotional than are men, women have the privilege of taking the initiative in courtship; men, like Victorian women, must remain coy and reluctant. This reversal of gender roles disturbs the narrator, particularly when he attracts the amorous attentions of both Zee and Tae’s nameless sister, whom he finds less frightening because she is less bold. He briefly entertains a vision of marrying her and ruling Vril-ya society, which he would reform in the image of his own. This cannot be, however, because the Vril-ya consider him a threat to the purity of their race, and the Tur eventually orders his death.
The narrator’s pleas to Tae, his would-be executioner, earn him a brief reprieve. Zee, her offers of celibate marriage or voluntary exile having been refused, returns him to the surface, where he remains silent about the Vril-ya. His memoirs are published “posthumously” and conclude with a warning of the inevitable invasion of “the coming race.”