8 . ▁ ▁Background ▁ ▁Leonard ▁W ool f ▁worked ▁for ▁the ▁British ▁C ey lon ▁Civil ▁Service ▁in ▁Sri ▁L anka ▁for ▁seven ▁years ▁after ▁gradu ating ▁from ▁Cambridge ▁University ▁in ▁ 1 9 0 4 . ▁In ▁Cambridge ▁W ool f ▁had ▁met ▁and ▁be fri ended ▁members ▁of ▁the ▁Blo oms bury ▁Group . ▁He ▁became ▁Ass istant ▁Government ▁Agent ▁in ▁Hamb ant ota ▁District , ▁dealing ▁with ▁a ▁variety ▁of ▁administrative ▁and ▁jud icial ▁issues . ▁The ▁district ▁he ▁was ▁in ▁charge ▁of ▁had ▁a ▁population ▁of ▁ 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 ▁people . ▁Books ▁he ▁took ▁with ▁him ▁to ▁Sri ▁L anka ▁included ▁the ▁complete ▁works ▁of ▁Vol taire . ▁W ool f ▁also ▁kept ▁a ▁compreh ensive ▁di ary ▁while ▁there , ▁and ▁later ▁said ▁that ▁his ▁experiences ▁in ▁the ▁country ▁led ▁to ▁him ▁adopt ing ▁liberal ▁political ▁views ▁and ▁becoming ▁an ▁oppon ent ▁of ▁imperial ism . ▁He ▁wrote ▁The ▁Village ▁in ▁the ▁Jung le , ▁his ▁first ▁novel , ▁after ▁he ▁returned ▁from ▁Sri ▁L anka ▁to ▁England ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 1 ▁while ▁he ▁was ▁cour ting ▁his ▁future ▁wife ▁Virginia ▁Stephen . ▁He ▁dedicated ▁the ▁novel ▁to ▁her . ▁ ▁Plot ▁ ▁The ▁novel ▁describes ▁the ▁lives ▁of ▁a ▁poor ▁family ▁in ▁a ▁small ▁village ▁called ▁Bed dag ama ▁( liter ally , ▁" The ▁village ▁in ▁the ▁j ung le ") ▁as ▁they ▁struggle ▁to ▁surv ive ▁the ▁challeng es ▁presented ▁by ▁pover ty , ▁disease , ▁super