''Deluge'' is a 1928 novel by

S. Fowler Wright Sydney Fowler Wright (6 January 1874 – 25 February 1965) was a British editor, poet, science fiction author, writer of screenplays, mystery fiction and works in other genres, as well as being an accountant and a conservative political activis ...

. In the novel, a series of tremors creates a

global flood A flood myth or a deluge myth is a myth in which a great flood, usually sent by a deity or deities, destroys civilization, often in an act of divine retribution. Parallels are often drawn between the flood waters of these myths and the primae ...

that destroys all civilization save for a few areas of the

English Midlands The Midlands (also referred to as Central England) are a part of England that broadly correspond to the Kingdom of Mercia of the Early Middle Ages, bordered by Wales, Northern England and Southern England. The Midlands were important in the Ind ...

that remain above water. It follows Martin Webster, a

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

who loses his wife and children. His companion, Claire Arlington, is an athlete and one of the few women to survive the flood. Their love affair is complicated when Helen, Martin's wife, turns out not to be dead after all. It is one of the earliest examples of

post-apocalyptic Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which the Earth's (or another planet's) civilization is collapsing or has collapsed. The apocalypse event may be climatic, such as runaway climate change; astro ...

science fiction, it is also classified as a

scientific romance Scientific romance is an archaic, mainly British term for the genre of fiction now commonly known as science fiction. The term originated in the 1850s to describe both fiction and elements of scientific writing, but it has since come to refer to ...

. Wright used the metaphor of the flood and the aftermath to comment critically upon 1920s British society at the time. A

film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...

made in

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood, ...

, very loosely based upon the book, but instead set in New York City was released in 1933. The film was well received in the United States and granted Wright considerable financial success. ''Deluge'' was Wright's first bestseller both in the United States and in Wright's native United Kingdom, the success of the novel allowed Wright to pursue writing full-time

Background

Wright composed ''Deluge'' while working as an accountant. Unable to sell his story to a commercial publisher, Wright opted to self-publish ''Deluge'' after noting the positive reception garnered from his previous novel '' The Amphibians''. Previously, Wright had focused on writing poetry, helping to found the

Empire Poetry League The Empire Poetry League was a British-based organisation founded in 1917,Brian Stableford, "Against the New Gods: The Speculative Fiction of S. Fowler Wright", in ''Against the New Gods and Other Essays on Writers of Imaginative Fiction'', Wildsid ...

. Prior to ''Deluge'', Wright had little experience in writing science fiction novels, though Wright was always known to have an interest in the genre.

Reception

''Deluge'' became a best seller upon release. There were very few copies in circulation initially, as Wright had produced a limited amount through his personal publishing house. However, the positive reception received by ''Deluge'' attracted the attention of Cosmopolitan Book Corporation, which allowed for mass production of the novel. ''Deluge'' was Wright's first popular novel and granted him considerable financial success.

Storm Jameson Margaret Ethel Storm Jameson (8 January 1891 – 30 September 1986) was an English journalist and author, known for her novels and reviews and for her work as President of English PEN between 1938 and 1944. Life and career Jameson was born in W ...

praised ''Deluge'' on its original publication in the magazine ''

London Calling ''London Calling'' is the third studio album by English rock band the Clash. It was originally released as a double album in the United Kingdom on 14 December 1979 by CBS Records, and in the United States in January 1980 by Epic Records. The C ...

'', comparing ''Deluge'' to Cicely Hamilton's post-holocaust novel ''Theodore Savage''.

Brian Stableford Brian Michael Stableford (born 25 July 1948) is a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped ...

, "Introduction" to ''Deluge'', Wesleyan University Press, 2003 , (p. i-lviii).

Edward Shanks Edward Richard Buxton Shanks (11 June 1892 – 4 May 1953) was an English writer, known as a war poet of World War I, then as an academic and journalist, and literary critic and biographer. He also wrote some science fiction. E. F. Bleiler and Rich ...

, reviewing ''Deluge'' in the ''

London Mercury ''The London Mercury'' was the name of several periodicals published in London from the 17th to the 20th centuries. The earliest was a newspaper that appeared during the Exclusion Bill crisis; it lasted only 56 issues (1682). (Earlier periodicals ...

'', also lauded the book.

Clemence Dane Clemence Dane CBE is the pseudonym of Winifred Ashton (21 February 1888 – 28 March 1965), an English novelist and playwright. Life and career After completing her education, Dane went to Switzerland to work as a French tutor, but returned ...

, discussing ''Deluge'' in the women's magazine ''Eve: The Lady's Pictorial'', praised ''Deluge'' and compared it to ''

After London John Richard Jefferies (6 November 1848 – 14 August 1887) was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influ ...

'' by

Richard Jefferies John Richard Jefferies (6 November 1848 – 14 August 1887) was an English nature writer, noted for his depiction of English rural life in essays, books of natural history, and novels. His childhood on a small Wiltshire farm had a great influ ...

. Not all reception was positive, as Wright noted in a following edition of ''Deluge''. Certain reviewers suggested Wright was "Full of prejudices" in his writing. Others criticized Wright for his one dimensional female character development. However, most considered the book to be a brilliant work of science fiction. ''Deluge'' was of great inspiration to future science fiction writers

John Wyndham John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (; 10 July 1903 – 11 March 1969) was an English science fiction writer best known for his works published under the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names ...

and

John Christopher Sam Youd (16 April 1922 – 3 February 2012), was a British writer, best known for science fiction written under the name of John Christopher, including the novels ''The Death of Grass'', ''The Possessors'', and the young-adult novel series ...

. A sequel to ''Deluge'', ''

Dawn Dawn is the time that marks the beginning of twilight before sunrise. It is recognized by the appearance of indirect sunlight being scattered in Earth's atmosphere, when the centre of the Sun's disc has reached 18° below the observer's horizo ...

'' was completed in 1929, though it was not as well received.

Themes

''Deluge'' criticizes contemporary civilization and class systems. In the novel, modern civilization is dissolved, and ''Deluge'' depicts this new, less advanced society as noble, admirable, and natural rather than savage, contending futuristic comforts are unrealistic and ultimately inherently corrupt societal goals. This theme was an argument against many other science fiction authors at the time as writers like H.G. Wells suggested scientific advancement was positive and ultimately a necessity. The book also suggests humans cooperate better in a more simplified society.

Influence

''Deluge'' influenced Storm Jameson's novel of a Britain devastated by floods, ''The World Ends'' (1937, using the pseudonym William Lamb).

Notes

External links

*
"Fiction: Flood" review
''

Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...