Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul, published in 1905, is H. G. Wells’s social novel about the rise and fall of a humble draper’s assistant who unexpectedly inherits a fortune. As Kipps tries to navigate his new status, he struggles with self-doubt, class expectations, and the pull between his humble roots and newfound social ambitions. With humor and empathy, Wells critiques Edwardian class structure and the illusion of upward mobility. Kipps is a poignant, often comic portrait of aspiration and identity.
