The History of Mr. Polly

H. G. Wells, 1910

Comic classics

An unhappy shopkeeper's view of his life opens a comic inquiry into work, marriage and the desire for escape.

Read the book Contents

Length: 10 chapters
Reading time: About 4 hr 49 min
Words: 68,699

About the book

Mr Polly sits outdoors suffering from indigestion and finding fault with the world. His inventive phrases make dissatisfaction almost an art, though they do little to explain it. The story turns towards the experiences that have brought him to this uncomfortable point.

Wells grounds the comedy in shops, apprenticeships and the daily arrangements of earning a living. Polly's private language offers a lively contrast to the narrow possibilities he sees around him. The novel takes seriously the question beneath his complaints: how much of an apparently fixed life can a person change?

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Comic classics

This edition

Text from Standard Ebooks, who proofread and typeset it and dedicate their edition to the public domain. H. G. Wells died more than 70 years ago, so the work is out of copyright in the UK.