W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage

Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London)

Ed. by Chris Baldick, Goldsmiths College, University of London
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.2.1.08: English Writing and Culture of the early Twentieth Century , 1900-1945.
Vol. editors: Chris Baldick (Goldsmiths College, University of London), Peter Childs (Newman University), Louise McDonald (Newman University)

Dates

First circulation or publication Aug 1915

Places

England (Country of Origin)
United States (Publication/ performance)

Genres and Modes

Novel
- Bildungsroman

Resources

W. Somerset Maugham wrote twenty novels during his lengthy career, but Of Human Bondage (1915) is the most ambitious, most vividly realised and most widely appreciated of those. It is a long semi-autobiographical work in the Bildungsroman (education-novel) tradition, which follows the progress of its protagonist, Philip Carey, from childhood through adolescent crises to his adjustments to adult life. In this it is comparable with other English coming-of-age novels of the period such as Arnold Bennett’s Clayhanger (1910) and D. H. Lawrence’s Sons and Lovers (1913). Its distinctive feature is that in its central episodes it becomes a story of obsession, in which Philip’s prospects are a…

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1959 words

Citation: Baldick, Chris. "Of Human Bondage". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 28 May 2020 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11443, accessed 22 November 2024.]

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