Other editions of book The History of Mr Polly Illustrated

The History of Mr. Polly is one of Wells’ most unusual books. The comic novel is not very widely known today, but it was a best seller at the time it was first published in 1910 and it will surely delight the reader, whether a fan of Wells or not. The protagonist, Mr. Alfred Polly is what we might define today as an anti-hero. He is timid, but short-tempered, living in a miserable marriage and getting into all sorts of misadventures. The novel cuts to the chase right with the first page – we see Polly and his miserable existence, how he hates his wife, the town and the street he lives in, the shop he makes a living from and himself, too. The first 6 chapters provide insight into Polly’s character, background and attitude and it all culminates in the next part, starting with chapter 7, when he decides to commit suicide. However, he cannot even kill himself the right way – his suicide attempt fails, but in a strangely spectacular way that makes him the hero of the local community and gets him the money he needs to leave his much hated town, shop and wife. The book is often compared to Dickens novels – it provides the same acid criticism of society, the story unfolds in the same, slow-paced fashion and centers on the inner moral conflicts the protagonist goes through. Unlike other books by Wells, The History of Mr. Polly is character-driven and the reader discovers that Wells was a master not only of creating action-packed stories, but also of creating round and complex characters. The language used in the novel is rich and playful, with lots of words made up by Mr. Polly himself to describe the people and events around him as well as his own feelings and his opinions about the world he inhabits.

The History of Mr. Polly is a 1910 comic novel by H. G. Wells.The protagonist of The History of Mr. Polly is an antihero inspired by H. G. Wells's early experiences in the drapery trade: Alfred Polly, born circa 1870, a timid and directionless young man living in Edwardian England, who despite his own bumbling achieves contented serenity with little help from those around him. Mr. Polly's most striking characteristic is his "innate sense of epithet",[1] which leads him to coin hilarious expressions like "the Shoveacious Cult" for "sunny young men of an abounding and elbowing energy" and "dejected angelosity" for the ornaments of Canterbury Cathedral.

The History of Mr. Polly is a 1910 comic novel by H. G. Wells.The protagonist of The History of Mr. Polly is an antihero inspired by H. G. Wells's early experiences in the drapery trade: Alfred Polly, born circa 1870, a timid and directionless young man living in Edwardian England, who despite his own bumbling achieves contented serenity with little help from those around him. Mr. Polly's most striking characteristic is his "innate sense of epithet",[1] which leads him to coin hilarious expressions like "the Shoveacious Cult" for "sunny young men of an abounding and elbowing energy" and "dejected angelosity" for the ornaments of Canterbury Cathedral.