The Plain Man and His Wife was one of Bennett's works, yet it was first received with criticism. For much of the 20th Century, Bennett's work was tainted by this perception; it was not until the 1990s that a more positive view of his work became widely accepted. The noted English critic John Carey was a major influence on his rehabilitation. He praises him in his 1992 book, The Intellectuals and the Masses, declaring Bennett to be his "hero" because his writings "represent a systematic dismemberment of the intellectuals' case against the masses".

《平凡人和他的妻子》的主人公为"平凡人"，其寻常无奇的人物性格实则颇具代表性。作者以阿尔法先生、欧米加先生与欧米克隆夫妇的典型人物形象，用细腻深刻的笔法将"平凡人"生活中的点点滴滴及其性格特质展现在读者面前，为读者提供了自我比照与反思的对象。