Carl Gustav Jung
Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who founded analytical psychology. Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philo ...
, whom Wells had met in 1924. The first part of this book is said to have been written in his brother's London abode; the second part is in William Clissold's house in
Provence
Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...
. "Book the Second: The Story of the Clissolds—My Father and the Flow of Things" recounts the upbringing of William Clissold and his brother Dickon, which was violently disrupted by the suicide of their businessman father, Richard Clissold, after he was convicted and sentenced to prison for fraud; it includes long passages on "systems in history," the ideas of
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...
, and the development of the institution of money. "Book the Third: The Story of the Clissolds—Essence of Dickon" tells the story of his brother's family life and innovative career in advertising, and includes extensive commentary on the historical importance of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
.
"Book the Fourth: The Story of the Clissolds—Tangle of Desires" focuses on William Clissold's love life, telling the story of his unsuccessful marriage to Clara and his affairs with Sirrie Evans and with Helen, a famous actress, and culminates in his meeting Clementina, a young Scotch-Greek woman who becomes the final love of his life. "Book the Fifth: The Story of the Clissolds—The Next Phase" is almost exclusively devoted to developing the notion of a worldwide "open conspiracy" of business leaders, politicians, scientists, and intellectuals to establish a "World Republic" devoted to the betterment of human life (a dominant notion in Wells's later life that is developed at length here for the first time). "Book the Sixth: The Story of the Clissolds—Venus as Evening Star" is an extended analysis of the relations between men and women, and culminates in his decision to marry Clementina. But as the epilogue recounts, the death of William Clissold and Clementina a few days later, on 24 Apr 1926, in an automobile accident, prevents the realisation of William Clissold's plans.
Criticism
At 797 pages, ''The World of William Clissold'' is H.G. Wells's longest novel. It is dedicated to Odette Keun, Wells's lover from 1924 to 1933 and with whom Wells lived in Lou Pidou, a house they built together in
Grasse
Grasse (; Provençal oc, Grassa in classical norm or in Mistralian norm ; traditional it, Grassa) is the only subprefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur region on the French Riviera. In 2017, the c ...
, France; the text often evokes the countryside of southern France.David C. Smith, ''H.G. Wells: Desperately Human: A Biography'' (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1986), p. 408. But Wells emphasizes in his introductory note that the house described in ''The World of William Clissold'' is not his own home.
Wells received a £3000 advance for the novel, and Benn spent £1500 advertising it. The novel received more than a hundred reviews and was a commercial success. But critical reactions to the work were often negative and sometimes scathing, though
John Maynard Keynes
John Maynard Keynes, 1st Baron Keynes, ( ; 5 June 1883 – 21 April 1946), was an English economist whose ideas fundamentally changed the theory and practice of macroeconomics and the economic policies of governments. Originally trained in ...
,
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence simply as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from ...
,
Graham Wallas
Graham Wallas (31 May 1858 – 9 August 1932) was an English socialist, social psychologist, educationalist, a leader of the Fabian Society and a co-founder of the London School of Economics.
Biography
Born in Monkwearmouth, Sunderland, Wall ...
, and H.L. Mencken were appreciative. Few took the novel seriously as a work of art, seeing it instead as an exposition of "Wellsian philosophy."David C. Smith, ''H.G. Wells: Desperately Human: A Biography'' (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1986), p. 286.
Biographer David Smith called ''The World of William Clissold'' "a watershed book in H.G. Wells's fiction," marking a turn to increasingly didactive narratives.