W. Somerset Maugham is best known for writing Of Human Bondage, among other plays and novels. This is a novel that follows a man from childhood, when his mother dies, to around thirty-years-old, how he feels about marriage, became a doctor after dropping out, and other very vivid, taboo subjects. For instance, he talks about Mildred get a venereal disease, about having unmarried sex, and other topics.
His writing style is easy and his subjects are engrossing. Of Human Bondage was kept as much as true to life as possible. Usually, authors would have some event or person save the main character, Phillip Carey, from all the bad events that befall him. Another twist is Phillip was born with a club foot. He allowed Carey to deal with situations in the same way we have to in real life. It also follow Carey's life as he's infatuated by Mildred who doesn't love him. She uses him. Sounds familiar, right?
Also, Of Human Bondage seems to reflect much of Maugham's biography, since he was trained as a doctor himself. This is one of those totally under-appreciated books, because it wasn't about a heroine finding true love; it wasn't about some swarthy hero out to save some one with elaborate fanfare. W. Somerset Maugham is a great author, and wrote one of the best novels from the early 20th century literature.
No comments:
Post a Comment