Kipps
Encyclopedia
Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul is a novel
by H. G. Wells
, first published in 1905. Humorous yet sympathetic, this perceptive social novel is generally regarded as a masterpiece, and was the author's own favourite work.
, raised by his uncle and aunt. He is friends with Sid and Ann Pornick, the children of his next-door neighbour. When Kipps leaves home to be apprenticed for seven years as a draper
(based on Wells's own experience), he and Ann cut a sixpence in half, each of them taking one half as a keepsake.
His life changes suddenly when he is run down by a playwright on a bicycle one evening. The playwright, Chitterlow, tries to make amends, and he and Kipps get drunk. Kipps is then fired from the draper's shop for being out all night. But Chitterlow shows him a newspaper advertisement claiming that if Kipps will call on a solicitor named Bean, he will learn something to his advantage. Kipps worries that it might be a trick, but with no job, he has few options and decides to visit the solicitor.
Bean reveals that Kipps is the grandson of a wealthy gentleman
. Kipps inherits a townhouse and a fortune (£1200 per year) and is abruptly thrown into upper class
society
. Mrs Walshingham, the mother of his woodcarving class teacher Helen, had formerly despised him as lower class, but now seeks to marry her daughter to him and his money. Kipps becomes engaged to the Helen. She and her friend Chester Coote try to teach Kipps how to behave in society and suggest he change his name to the more aristocratic-sounding Cuyps or even Cuyp. Kipps struggles to learn etiquette
, while his uncle is forever buying useless, broken knickknacks as 'investments', and Chitterlow borrows £2000 from Kipps to finance his latest play.
One day, when visiting, Kipps meets Ann Pornick, serving as a maid. They have each kept their half-sixpence during their years apart. Fed up with a society he cannot understand, Kipps elopes with Ann. They marry, but he is still torn between the low social position he is comfortable in and that to which his wealth calls him. Then he discovers Helen's brother, to whom he had entrusted his money, has embezzled it and fled the country. Kipps is shattered. Luckily, Bean manages to rescue £1000. Kipps and Ann set up a bookshop and have a child.
Finally, Chitterlow, whom Kipps had written off as a sponger, stumbles into Kipps's shop one morning, drunk and disorderly: his play is a roaring success! It tours the world, and Kipps' fortune is restored. Kipps decides from now on to keep his money in the bank and not invest it.
, and (for the final scene) shot on location in Canterbury
and partly at the Savoy Hotel
. Wells was an extra in the film. The 1941 adaptation
starred Michael Redgrave
in the title role. It was adapted as an eight-part television serial by Granada Television
, with Brian Murray as Kipps, and shown on the ITV
network between 14 October and 2 December 1960; this version no longer exists.
Kipps was adapted into the stage musical Half a Sixpence
by David Heneker
and Beverley Cross
. It was originally mounted on London's West End
as a star vehicle for Tommy Steele
, and transferred to Broadway
(with Steele) in the 1965–1966 season. It was filmed in 1967
, again with Steele in the starring role.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
, first published in 1905. Humorous yet sympathetic, this perceptive social novel is generally regarded as a masterpiece, and was the author's own favourite work.
Plot
Artie (Arthur) Kipps is an orphanOrphan
An orphan is a child permanently bereaved of or abandoned by his or her parents. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents is called an orphan...
, raised by his uncle and aunt. He is friends with Sid and Ann Pornick, the children of his next-door neighbour. When Kipps leaves home to be apprenticed for seven years as a draper
Draper
Draper is the now largely obsolete term for a wholesaler, or especially retailer, of cloth, mainly for clothing, or one who works in a draper's shop. A draper may additionally operate as a cloth merchant or a haberdasher. The drapers were an important trade guild...
(based on Wells's own experience), he and Ann cut a sixpence in half, each of them taking one half as a keepsake.
His life changes suddenly when he is run down by a playwright on a bicycle one evening. The playwright, Chitterlow, tries to make amends, and he and Kipps get drunk. Kipps is then fired from the draper's shop for being out all night. But Chitterlow shows him a newspaper advertisement claiming that if Kipps will call on a solicitor named Bean, he will learn something to his advantage. Kipps worries that it might be a trick, but with no job, he has few options and decides to visit the solicitor.
Bean reveals that Kipps is the grandson of a wealthy gentleman
Gentleman
The term gentleman , in its original and strict signification, denoted a well-educated man of good family and distinction, analogous to the Latin generosus...
. Kipps inherits a townhouse and a fortune (£1200 per year) and is abruptly thrown into upper class
Upper class
In social science, the "upper class" is the group of people at the top of a social hierarchy. Members of an upper class may have great power over the allocation of resources and governmental policy in their area.- Historical meaning :...
society
Society
A society, or a human society, is a group of people related to each other through persistent relations, or a large social grouping sharing the same geographical or virtual territory, subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations...
. Mrs Walshingham, the mother of his woodcarving class teacher Helen, had formerly despised him as lower class, but now seeks to marry her daughter to him and his money. Kipps becomes engaged to the Helen. She and her friend Chester Coote try to teach Kipps how to behave in society and suggest he change his name to the more aristocratic-sounding Cuyps or even Cuyp. Kipps struggles to learn etiquette
Etiquette
Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...
, while his uncle is forever buying useless, broken knickknacks as 'investments', and Chitterlow borrows £2000 from Kipps to finance his latest play.
One day, when visiting, Kipps meets Ann Pornick, serving as a maid. They have each kept their half-sixpence during their years apart. Fed up with a society he cannot understand, Kipps elopes with Ann. They marry, but he is still torn between the low social position he is comfortable in and that to which his wealth calls him. Then he discovers Helen's brother, to whom he had entrusted his money, has embezzled it and fled the country. Kipps is shattered. Luckily, Bean manages to rescue £1000. Kipps and Ann set up a bookshop and have a child.
Finally, Chitterlow, whom Kipps had written off as a sponger, stumbles into Kipps's shop one morning, drunk and disorderly: his play is a roaring success! It tours the world, and Kipps' fortune is restored. Kipps decides from now on to keep his money in the bank and not invest it.
Adaptations
Kipps has been adapted for other media several times. In 1921, a silent film version set in FolkestoneFolkestone
Folkestone is the principal town in the Shepway District of Kent, England. Its original site was in a valley in the sea cliffs and it developed through fishing and its closeness to the Continent as a landing place and trading port. The coming of the railways, the building of a ferry port, and its...
, and (for the final scene) shot on location in Canterbury
Canterbury
Canterbury is a historic English cathedral city, which lies at the heart of the City of Canterbury, a district of Kent in South East England. It lies on the River Stour....
and partly at the Savoy Hotel
Savoy Hotel
The Savoy Hotel is a hotel located on the Strand, in the City of Westminster in central London. Built by impresario Richard D'Oyly Carte with profits from his Gilbert and Sullivan operas, the hotel opened on 6 August 1889. It was the first in the Savoy group of hotels and restaurants owned by...
. Wells was an extra in the film. The 1941 adaptation
Kipps (1941 film)
Kipps, also known as The Remarkable Mr. Kipps, is a 1941 comedy film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Carol Reed...
starred Michael Redgrave
Michael Redgrave
Sir Michael Scudamore Redgrave, CBE was an English stage and film actor, director, manager and author.-Youth and education:...
in the title role. It was adapted as an eight-part television serial by Granada Television
Granada Television
Granada Television is the ITV contractor for North West England. Based in Manchester since its inception, it is the only surviving original ITA franchisee from 1954 and is ITV's most successful....
, with Brian Murray as Kipps, and shown on the ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
network between 14 October and 2 December 1960; this version no longer exists.
Kipps was adapted into the stage musical Half a Sixpence
Half a Sixpence
Half a Sixpence is a musical comedy written as a vehicle for British pop star Tommy Steele.It is based on H.G. Wells's novel Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul...
by David Heneker
David Heneker
David Heneker was a writer and composer of British popular music and musicals, best known for creating the music and lyrics for Half a Sixpence.-Life and career:...
and Beverley Cross
Beverley Cross
Beverley Cross was an English playwright, librettist and screenwriter.Born in London into a theatrical family, Cross started off by writing children's plays in the 1950s. He achieved instant success with his first play One More River, which dealt with a mutiny in which a crew puts its first...
. It was originally mounted on London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
as a star vehicle for Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele
Tommy Steele OBE , is an English entertainer. Steele is widely regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.-Singer:...
, and transferred to Broadway
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre, commonly called simply Broadway, refers to theatrical performances presented in one of the 40 professional theatres with 500 or more seats located in the Theatre District centered along Broadway, and in Lincoln Center, in Manhattan in New York City...
(with Steele) in the 1965–1966 season. It was filmed in 1967
Half a Sixpence (film)
Half a Sixpence is a 1967 British musical film directed by George Sidney and choreographed by Gillian Lynne. The screenplay by Beverley Cross is adapted from his book for the stage musical of the same name, which was based on Kipps: The Story of a Simple Soul, a 1905 novel by H.G. Wells...
, again with Steele in the starring role.