To Try to Save the Devil

Posted on 2 September 2015 by Sørina Higgins

TheLondonMercuryCharles Williams only wrote one short story: “Et in Sempiternum Pereant.” It was published in The London Mercury in 1935. You can read the full text on Project Gutenberg Australia and listen to a really excellent audio version by voice actor Ulf Bjorklund.

The story features Lord Arglay, one of the main characters from Many Dimensions. It is a tight, streamlined piece–for CW, anyway–with what I read as a perfect unity between setting and theme. The descriptions are extremely vivid, and it is only at the end that CW lets his diffuse style get away from him. There are only two characters, and their stark contrast and surprising affinities are worthy of a superhero story. The theological twist at the end is a shocker. Do give it a read and/or listen and leave a comment below; I would love to know your thoughts about this fascinating, creepy tale.

About Sørina Higgins

Dr. Sørina Higgins is an editor, writer, English teacher, public speaker, blogger, podcaster, and scholar of British modernist literature. She once founded and ran a University Press and has served as a writing tutor and consultant for everything from doctoral dissertations to a Jungian dream-journal. Her academic work focuses on Charles Williams (The Oddest Inkling) and magic in modern drama. She is currently revising a volume of short stories, Shall these Bones Breathe?, and previously published two books of poetry: Caduceus & The Significance of Swans. You can hire Sørina to edit your work, guide you through elements of creative or academic writing, teach courses on literature and writing, or speak to your group about any of these topics. Visit https://wyrdhoard.com/about/sorina-higgins/.
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5 Responses to To Try to Save the Devil

  1. Ann Ahnemann says:
    2 September 2015 at 16:33

    The Gutenberg AU link is broken

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  2. David Llewellyn Dodds says:
    10 September 2015 at 06:47

    Interesting to think that this was published – and, I presume, written – after C.W. had begun working on what would be published as Descent into Hell.

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  3. marian says:
    27 May 2018 at 15:09

    Hi there, I have just read the short-story,
    I very much liked it until the moment Lord Arglay went into the cottage. Then it became quite messy :).
    Btw. I haven’t read Many Dimensions, so perhaps I don’t quite get it (?).

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