
The History of Mr. Polly
by H. G. Wells
'The History of Mr. Polly ' Summary
Alfred Polly lives in the imaginary town of Fishbourne in Kent (not to be confused with Fishbourne, West Sussex or Fishbourne, Isle of Wight – the town in the story is thought to be based on Sandgate, Kent where Wells lived for several years). The novel begins in medias res by presenting a miserable Mr. Polly: "He hated Foxbourne, he hated Foxbourne High Street, he hated his shop and his wife and his neighbours – every blessed neighbour – and with indescribable bitterness he hated himself". Thereafter, The History of Mr. Polly is divided in three parts. Chapters 1–6 depict his life up to age 20, when he marries his cousin Miriam Larkins and sets up an outfitter's shop in Fishbourne. Chapters 7–8 show Mr. Polly's spectacular suicide attempt, which ironically makes him a local hero, wins him insurance money that saves him from bankruptcy, and yields the insight that "Fishbourne wasn't the world", which leads him to abandon his shop and his wife. Chapters 9–10, at the Potwell Inn (apparently located in West Sussex), culminates in Mr. Polly's courageous victory over "Uncle Jim", a malicious relative of the innkeeper's granddaughter. An epilogue then depicts Mr. Polly at ease as assistant-innkeeper, after a brief visit to ascertain Miriam's prosperity.
Book Details
Authors

H. G. Wells
England
He was most prominent as a forward-looking, even prophetic social critic who devoted his literary talents to the development of a progressive vision on a global scale. A futurist, he wrote a number of...
Books by H. G. WellsDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books

Wives on Strike by Lillian Sutton Pelée
The "Wives' Welfare Club" is meeting together so they may air grievances about their husbands and the inequality that women experience. During this m...

Left to Themselves by Edward Irenaeus Prime-Stevenson
Said to be the first-ever gay youth novel, this 1891 story follows the adventures of 12-year-old Gerald Saxton embarking on a trip from New York, to m...

Kunterbuntergang des Abendlandes. Grotesken by Klabund
Klabund, using the pseudonym Alfred Georg Hermann 'Fredi' Henschke, presents a collection of short stories that offer a darkly humorous and satirical...

A Girl Among the Anarchists by Olivia Rossetti Agresti
It is a fictionalized autobiography that tells the story of a young woman's political awakening and her involvement with the anarchist movement in the...

L' Homme de fer by Paul Féval, père
Dans les recoins obscurs du XIXe siècle français, un mystère plane, une vengeance se prépare. Bienvenue dans l'univers captivant de "L'Homme de Fer" d...

Noughts and Crosses: Stories, Studies and Sketches by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch
This collection of short stories and essays by Sir Arthur Thomas Quiller-Couch, known by his pen name 'Q,' showcases his diverse literary talents. Spa...

White Linen Nurse by Eleanor Hallowell Abbott
The White Linen Nurse is a hysterical story of an exhausted nurse who comes to regret her profession and then somehow finds herself caring for the inv...

The Figure in the Carpet by Henry James
"The Figure in the Carpet" is a short story by American writer Henry James. It is told in the first person; the narrator, whose name is never revealed...

What Maisie Knew by Henry James
When Beale and Ida Farange are divorced, the court decrees that their only child, the very young Maisie, will shuttle back and forth between them, spe...

Elissa by H. Rider Haggard
It tells the story of the legendary Queen of Carthage, Elissa, also known as Dido, and her journey from Phoenicia to North Africa, where she founded t...
Reviews for The History of Mr. Polly
No reviews posted or approved, yet...