The Undying Fire (Wells novel)
| Company type | Novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Literature |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Founder | H. G. Wells |
The Undying Fire, a novel published in 1919 by H. G. Wells, offers a contemporary adaptation of the biblical tale of Job. Mirroring the Book of Job, it opens with a heavenly prologue, includes interactions with four visitors, features a dialogue between the main character and God, and concludes with an epilogue that restores the protagonist’s circumstances. The work is dedicated to "All Schoolmasters and Schoolmistresses and every Teacher in the World."
Plot summary
Job Huss, the central figure, is an educator confronting intense adversity. The public school at Woldingstanton in Norfolk, which he revitalized, experiences a series of calamities: a measles outbreak, a fatal explosion in the chemistry laboratory, and a fire resulting in two student deaths. Subsequently, Huss’s solicitor takes his own life after losing his investments speculating on the Russian ruble. Though Huss suffers a partial mental collapse, he recovers alongside his wife at Sundering-on-Sea, where they learn their only son has been "shot down over the German lines." Huss himself receives a cancer diagnosis.
Three members of the Woldingstanton board—Sir Eliphaz Burrows (manufacturer of building materials), Mr. William Dad (producer of automobiles and aeronautical equipment), and Mr. Joseph Farr (head of technical operations)—arrive to terminate his employment; their names are reminiscent of Job’s biblical visitors Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. Huss refuses to resign, insisting that "the task of the teacher . . is to ensure that Man, Man the Divine, grows in the souls of men," engaging them in philosophical discussions that echo theological themes Wells examined in God the Invisible King (1917).
Huss’s doctor, Dr. Elihu Barrack—symbolizing Elihu—shares some of Huss’s perspectives but challenges others. In response, Huss delivers a striking passage invoking submarine warfare, considered among the novel’s most compelling sections.
Following their debate, Huss undergoes surgery. While under anaesthesia, he holds a conversation with God, who assures him: "If you have courage... victory shall be yours... Only have courage. On the courage in your heart all things depend."
Background
The figure of Job Huss is loosely inspired by Frederick William Sanderson, whom Wells profiled in his 1922 biography, The Story of a Great Schoolmaster.
Celebrating education, The Undying Fire foreshadows Wells’s subsequent major contributions on history (The Outline of History, 1920), biology (The Science of Life, 1931), and economics (The Work, Wealth and Happiness of Mankind, 1932).
Reception
Wells considered The Undying Fire among his finest literary efforts. Although some contemporaries concurred, critical reception was mixed. One biographer characterized it as "a parade of ideas leading to a predetermined conclusion: that the one true god is the yearning for the ideal in the human heart, which can be successfully developed through education."