The History Of Mr. Polly: H.G. Wells

Alfred Polly - Antihero. Born circa 1870, he is 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. He has an innate sense of epithet which leads him to coin hilarious expressions such as, 'sunny young men of an abounding and elbowing energy' and 'dejected angelosity' in reference to the ornamentation of Canterbury Cathedral. He lives in Fishbourne in Kent (not to be confused with Fishbourne, West Sussex or Fishbourne, Isle of Wight) and he is miserable. He hates where he lives; he hates the High Street; he definitely hates his shop, his wife and his neighbours. And he hates himself. Since the story opens in the middle of the plot, there is a good look back at Mr. Polly's life up to the age of 20, and how he came to be in this mid-existence crisis...How far will he go to get out of it? A nice departure into social comedy for H.G. Wells.