Kipps
What is Kipps about?
Kipps is the story of Arthur “Artie” Kipps, an illegitimate orphan raised by his aunt and uncle on the southern coast of England in the town of New Romney. Kipps falls in love with neighbor friend Ann Pornick but soon loses touch with her as he begins an apprenticeship at a drapery establishment in the port town of Folkestone. After a drunken evening with his new friend Chitterlow, an aspiring playwright, Kipps discovers he is to inherit a house and sizable income from his grandfather. Kipps then struggles to understand what his new-found wealth means in terms of his place in society and his love life. While today H. G. Wells is best known for his “scientific romances” such as The Time Machine and The Island of Doctor Moreau , Wells considered Kipps his favorite work. Wells worked closely with (some say pestered) his publisher Macmillan to employ creative promotional schemes, and thanks to a cheap edition sales blossomed to over 200,000 during the first two decades of publication. It was during this period that his prior futuristic works became more available and popular with American audiences.
Main themes in Kipps
Class mobility
Class mobility emerges as a defining element in Kipps, shaping character development.
Social pretension
The presence of social pretension in Kipps connects readers to its enduring relevance.
English manners
English manners emerges as a defining element in Kipps, shaping character development.
Love across classes
The theme of love across classes weaves through Kipps, adding depth to its narrative.
Why Kipps is still relevant today
Kipps is Wells's comic masterpiece about social mobility, following a draper's assistant who inherits wealth. The novel dissects English class pretensions with Dickensian sympathy and satirical wit. It showcases Wells the social novelist, often overlooked beside Wells the science fiction pioneer.
More by this author
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Kipps about?
Arthur Kipps, an awkward draper's assistant, unexpectedly inherits a fortune. His attempts to rise socially expose class pretensions on all sides. He eventually finds happiness with his childhood sweetheart rather than fashionable society.
Is Kipps autobiographical?
Partly—Wells himself came from the draper class and experienced social mobility through education. Kipps reflects his observations about class anxiety and pretension from personal experience.
How does Kipps compare to Wells's science fiction?
Kipps shows Wells's mastery of realistic social comedy, very different from his speculative fiction. It influenced writers like H.G. Wells. Readers who know only his science fiction will find a different, equally accomplished author.
Is Kipps still relevant?
Class anxiety and social aspiration remain universal themes. The specific Edwardian manners are dated, but the human comedy of belonging and pretension continues. Wells's sympathy for Kipps remains touching.