Answer:
C. No writer up to the very end of the nineteenth century expressed any idea that intelligent life might have developed there far, or indeed at all, beyond its earthly level.
Step-by-step explanation:
H. G. Wells' science-fictional novel "War of the Worlds" is one of the very first stories ever written about any form of conflict between humans and extraterrestrial beings/ aliens. Presenting the novel as a narrative form through the eyes of a young man in London, the plot revolves around a sudden Martian attack on Earth.
One of the themes of the novel i that human vanity 'refused' or failed to acknowledge the presence of an extraterrestrial being out in the vast universe. This idea is supported when the author comments that "no writer up to the very end of the nineteenth century expressed any idea that intelligent life might have developed (anywhere outside of human existence)." This means that humans think highly of themselves that they didn't think any creature exists or can exist and didn't even think about it even in the nineteenth century.
Thus, the correct answer is option C.