On Wells' Reflection On Urbanization In The History Of Mr. Polly

Herbert George Wells (1866-1946) is now acknowledged as an Edwardian novelist in the realist tradition of Dickens. In his whole life, Wells created substantial works on different subjects. Most of his works have valuable influence on modern literature. However in China, attention on Wells is less than enough. A few researchers have focused on his most influential science fiction, rather than his social comic novels. The History of Mr. Polly (1910) is one of his famous comic novels. Wells recorded the living conditions of the British lower-middle class in this novel.Compared with other cities on the European continent, the urban expansion in Britain was much more serious at the end of nineteenth century. The former oppositional urban-rural pattern was re-divided into urban, suburban and rural areas within the process of urbanization. The rapid development of cities and the growth of suburbs eroded the traditional social order, and made"a screaming mess of England". Eventually, the incredible"mess"created a violent reaction in British literature. As the representative of English culture, intellectuals reflected calmly the overly expansion of urban with their pens: they directly or indirectly expressed their dissatisfaction about British urbanization via their works, as well as their nostalgic attachment to traditional villages of England.Through narrating the life experience of protagonist Polly in The History of Mr. Polly, this thesis focuses on the emotional connection between individual and city, individual and suburb and individual and country. The introduction part of this thesis explores the relative researches in China and Western Worlds about Wells and The History of Mr. Polly, and interprets the theoretical background of cultural geography in order to indicate the feasibility and significance of the urbanization in this novel. The main body of this thesis consists of three parts. Part One analyzes the city image in the novel. The bustling city restricted the life of low-middle class, who usually comes from country or suburb like protagonist Polly. This emotional boundary causes psychological alienation among people. Part Two expounds the image of suburb. The emotional connection between human and landscape was lost with the expansion of suburb in Edwardian era. Their living environments were crowed and confined. The spiritual satisfaction was replaced by desire for fortune, and their interpersonal relationships were also altered. Part Three deals with the country image. Wells displayed rural space which survived in the real world to his readers. He recreated the simple rural scene existed in his childhood memory, at the same time he noticed the crisis the country place confronted with. In conclusion, Polly's emotional change on city and countryside implied Wells's suspicion to the urbanization and social problems generated in this progress. Meanwhile, Wells also tried to explore the possibility of coexistence of urban and rural areas during the process of urban expansion and rural decline.