- Felix Holt - George Eliot
- The Lost Girl - D.H. Lawrence
- The Cloister and the Hearth - Charles Reade
- The Return - Walter de la Mare
- Witch Stories - Eliza Lynn Linton
- The Ghost Pirates - William Hope Hodgson
- A Lady of Quality - Frances Hodgson Burnett
- Mathilda - Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
- Camilla - Fanny Burney
The Innocence of Father Brown - G.K. Chesterton- The Wisdom of Father Brown - G.K. Chesterton
Ethan Frome - Edith Wharton- The Europeans - Henry James
- Evelina - Fanny Burney
- A Sicilian Romance - Ann Radcliffe
- Dombey and Son - Charles Dickens
- Washington Square - Henry James
- Moon and Sixpence - W. Somerset Maugham
- Our Mutual Friend - Charles Dickens
- King Solomon's Mines - Henry Rider Haggard
- Sons and Lovers - D.H. Lawrence
- Nicholas Nickleby - Charles Dickens
- Cranford - Elizabeth Gaskell
- Persuasion - Jane Austen
- Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
- Verner's Pride - Ellen Wood
- The Odd Women - George Gissing
- New Grub Street - George Gissing
Ruth - Elizabeth Gaskell- The Mystery of the Boule Cabinet - Burton E. Stevenson
- The Angel of Terror - Edgar Wallace
- The Mystery of a Hansom Cab - Fergus Hume
- The Bartlett Mystery - Louis Tracy
- The Fairy Tales of Charles Perrault - Charles Perrault
- The Leavenworth Case - Anna Katharine Green
- The Virginians - William Thackeray
- The Man - Bram Stoker
- Lair of the White Worm - Bram Stoker
- Two on a Tower - Thomas Hardy
- Under the Greenwood Tree - Thomas Hardy
- The Trumpet-Major - Thomas Hardy
- The Romantic Adventures of a Milkmaid - Thomas Hardy
- A Pair of Blue Eyes - Thomas Hardy
- The Woodlanders - Thomas Hardy
- The Return of the Native - Thomas Hardy
- Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
- The Professor - Charlotte Bronte
- Agnes Grey - Anne Bronte
- Villette - Charlotte Bronte
- Antonina - Wilkie Collins
- A Rogue's Life - Wilkie Collins
- The New Magdalen - Wilkie Collins
- The Two Destinies - Wilkie Collins
- The Fallen Leaves - Wilkie Collins
- The Black Robe - Wilkie Collins
- Heart and Science - Wilkie Collins
- "I Say No" - Wilkie Collins
- The Evil Genius - Wilkie Collins
- Guilty River - Wilkie Collins
- The Legacy of Cain - Wilkie Collins
- Blind Love - Wilkie Collins
- Les Miserable - Victor Hugo
- The Lovels of Arden - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- Birds of Prey - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- Henry Dunbar - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- John Marchmont's Legacy - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- Fenton's Quest - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- Charlotte's Inheritance - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
- Run to Earth - Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Showing posts with label w. somerset maugham. Show all posts
Showing posts with label w. somerset maugham. Show all posts
Monday, 10 June 2013
Downloading Classics onto Kindle
I went on a bit of a splurge the other night. Conscious that I'm spending three weeks in Birmingham, I went onto Amazon and downloading a heap of free classics for my Kindle, which is one of the best presents I've ever received. Unfortunately, those added to what I already have on there have equated to something of a mountain. So if anyone has any suggestions for which of the following long list I should read I'd be grateful! These are all books I haven't read before, illustrating some gigantic holes in my education. (List in no particular order!)
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
Classic Film Review: Of Human Bondage (1934)
Of Human Bondage is labelled as Bette Davis's breakout role and she certainly shines as Mildred, a cold-hearted woman who winds trainee doctor Philip Carey (Leslie Howard) around her little finger. Following their initial meeting in a cafe, Carey is smitten, despite the fact that Mildred only tolerates him because he adores her. Although he breaks away and manages relationships with Norah (Kay Johnson) and Sally (Frances Dee), there's always the chance the Mildred will pop up and ruin everything. The film is based on the book by W. Somerset Maugham (reviewed here last year).
Leslie Howard portrays the slightly uncertain Carey magnificently but, really, this film belongs to Davis. Although her accent wobbles at times that's negated by her otherwise excellent performance. The major confrontation scene as Mildred tells Carey what she really thinks of him should go down as one of her best moments on film.
In other ways, Of Human Bondage falters a little. It's difficult to stomach Carey allowing her to repeatedly ruin his life, even more so than it was in the book. Although his club foot goes some way to explaining his choices, it's used as an all-encompassing tool to stop much character introspection. Equally, the way the film flits about a lot can be distracting, fragmenting an exceptionally long book into numerous bites of scene that occasionally only scratch the surface.
It's difficult to say a lot about this film because it essentially repeats the same pattern: Carey gets his life together, Mildred ruins it. However, there are some excellent moments in this and it's worth watching for Davis's performance alone.
Leslie Howard portrays the slightly uncertain Carey magnificently but, really, this film belongs to Davis. Although her accent wobbles at times that's negated by her otherwise excellent performance. The major confrontation scene as Mildred tells Carey what she really thinks of him should go down as one of her best moments on film.
In other ways, Of Human Bondage falters a little. It's difficult to stomach Carey allowing her to repeatedly ruin his life, even more so than it was in the book. Although his club foot goes some way to explaining his choices, it's used as an all-encompassing tool to stop much character introspection. Equally, the way the film flits about a lot can be distracting, fragmenting an exceptionally long book into numerous bites of scene that occasionally only scratch the surface.
It's difficult to say a lot about this film because it essentially repeats the same pattern: Carey gets his life together, Mildred ruins it. However, there are some excellent moments in this and it's worth watching for Davis's performance alone.
Thursday, 22 September 2011
Book Review: Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham
One warning before I kick off this review: Of Human Bondage is an exceptionally long book. The copy I've got (from the Vintage imprint) runs to exactly 700 pages and the type isn't exactly large either. However, I felt a unique sense of satisfaction when I finally closed it and I wouldn't say it was a monotonous chore to read.
The novel is known as Maugham's most autobiographical work. I don't know much about Maugham's life but a cursory glance at some biographical facts suggests much of the childhood portion of the book was based on his own experiences. In the novel the uncle who lives at Whitstable in real life becomes the vicar of Blackstable and the city where he received his education, Canterbury, becomes Tercanbury. I was aware of these similarities as I was reading and it helped create a sense of location. I don't think any knowledge of Maugham's early life is necessary to an enjoyment of this book, although it's interesting to see what things fit in and what is invention.
Of Human Bondage follows Philip Carey from his boyhood loss of his mother up to around the age of thirty. He packs quite a lot into life in this time. After the death of his mother he moves in with his uncle and aunt and goes to school in anticipation of becoming a clergyman. However, Philip was born with a club foot which makes integration at school difficult and, indeed, haunts him for much of his life. He frequently comments that whenever he is involved in a disagreement his disability is the one thing that people use as a low blow against him. It shapes the way he perceives the world and the way the world treats him.
Philip travels to Germany to finish his education and he also spends time in London then in Paris, looking for something he is suited to. He finally settles on his father's profession as a doctor for his career but this is beset with financial problems, primarily impacted by his relationship with a waitress called Mildred. I have to say, his dealings with this woman very nearly had me throwing the book against the wall. It occasionally defied belief that he took so much from her but, I suppose, seen through the eyes of his disability, it makes a little more sense. Still, Philip behaves in a somewhat pathetic manner and his self-sacrifices for the sake of Mildred are painful to read about. Each time she appeared I let out an audible sigh.
I don't think this novel is remarkable for character. Not only does Philip's character infuriate sense at times, other characters seem wooden on occasion. This could be symptomatic of the scope of the novel: so many people pass through the pages that fleshing them all out would be a difficult - and perhaps pointless - task. I found that some characters serve a purpose, or put across a point of view, before vanishing. Some, however, stuck in my memory a little more. Philip's aunt, Mrs Carey, struggles to demonstrate her affection for her nephew in the face of indifference from her husband. One of the most touching scenes of the book for me was the moment she pressed her life savings into his hands to make up for not being a 'proper' aunt to him during his youth. Another female character, the tragic Fanny Price, is notable for the end of her story. Perhaps it was that end which kept her in my mind but it could also have been the desperation to preserve appearances and self-belief which did it.
What Of Human Bondage seems to do best is impart ideas an philosophy. In Germany, for instance, Philip finds the religious doctrines he has followed all his life being challenged as he examines the differences between the Protestant religion he knows and the Catholic religion practised in Europe. When you consider this book was published in 1915, the conclusions are a little startling:
The fact was that he had ceased to believe not for this reason or the other, but because he had not the religious temperament. Faith had been forced upon him from the outside. He put off the faith of his childhood quite simply, like a cloak that he no longer needed. At first life seemed strange and lonely without the belief which, though he never realised it, had been an unfailing support. He felt like a man who has leaned on a stick and finds herself forced suddenly to walk without assistance. It really seemed as though the days were colder and the nights more solitary. But he was upheld by the excitement; it seemed to make life a more thrilling adventure; and in a little while the stick which he had thrown aside, the cloak which had fallen from his shoulders, seemed an intolerable burden of which he had been eased. (p130)
What Maugham does very well throughout the novel is examine the ideas of religion and morality, along with the meaning of life. It's interesting to see Philip's uncle, the vicar, struggling towards the end of his life with a painful thought that he may not be in for eternal peace after all. Along with religion, Maugham uses Philip's time in Paris to discuss art and philosophy. Many of the characters Philip encounters there become merely mouthpieces for ideas Maugham wants to impart.
I enjoyed this book, although I wanted to hit Philip. I think it's worth reading for the ruminations on humanity but don't go to it for character. Go to it for the sheer ease of storytelling or go to it for the intricate scenes Maugham depicts throughout the pages. It may not be an enthralling read but I did come away with knowledge I'm not sure I recognised before.
The novel is known as Maugham's most autobiographical work. I don't know much about Maugham's life but a cursory glance at some biographical facts suggests much of the childhood portion of the book was based on his own experiences. In the novel the uncle who lives at Whitstable in real life becomes the vicar of Blackstable and the city where he received his education, Canterbury, becomes Tercanbury. I was aware of these similarities as I was reading and it helped create a sense of location. I don't think any knowledge of Maugham's early life is necessary to an enjoyment of this book, although it's interesting to see what things fit in and what is invention.
Of Human Bondage follows Philip Carey from his boyhood loss of his mother up to around the age of thirty. He packs quite a lot into life in this time. After the death of his mother he moves in with his uncle and aunt and goes to school in anticipation of becoming a clergyman. However, Philip was born with a club foot which makes integration at school difficult and, indeed, haunts him for much of his life. He frequently comments that whenever he is involved in a disagreement his disability is the one thing that people use as a low blow against him. It shapes the way he perceives the world and the way the world treats him.
Philip travels to Germany to finish his education and he also spends time in London then in Paris, looking for something he is suited to. He finally settles on his father's profession as a doctor for his career but this is beset with financial problems, primarily impacted by his relationship with a waitress called Mildred. I have to say, his dealings with this woman very nearly had me throwing the book against the wall. It occasionally defied belief that he took so much from her but, I suppose, seen through the eyes of his disability, it makes a little more sense. Still, Philip behaves in a somewhat pathetic manner and his self-sacrifices for the sake of Mildred are painful to read about. Each time she appeared I let out an audible sigh.
I don't think this novel is remarkable for character. Not only does Philip's character infuriate sense at times, other characters seem wooden on occasion. This could be symptomatic of the scope of the novel: so many people pass through the pages that fleshing them all out would be a difficult - and perhaps pointless - task. I found that some characters serve a purpose, or put across a point of view, before vanishing. Some, however, stuck in my memory a little more. Philip's aunt, Mrs Carey, struggles to demonstrate her affection for her nephew in the face of indifference from her husband. One of the most touching scenes of the book for me was the moment she pressed her life savings into his hands to make up for not being a 'proper' aunt to him during his youth. Another female character, the tragic Fanny Price, is notable for the end of her story. Perhaps it was that end which kept her in my mind but it could also have been the desperation to preserve appearances and self-belief which did it.
What Of Human Bondage seems to do best is impart ideas an philosophy. In Germany, for instance, Philip finds the religious doctrines he has followed all his life being challenged as he examines the differences between the Protestant religion he knows and the Catholic religion practised in Europe. When you consider this book was published in 1915, the conclusions are a little startling:
The fact was that he had ceased to believe not for this reason or the other, but because he had not the religious temperament. Faith had been forced upon him from the outside. He put off the faith of his childhood quite simply, like a cloak that he no longer needed. At first life seemed strange and lonely without the belief which, though he never realised it, had been an unfailing support. He felt like a man who has leaned on a stick and finds herself forced suddenly to walk without assistance. It really seemed as though the days were colder and the nights more solitary. But he was upheld by the excitement; it seemed to make life a more thrilling adventure; and in a little while the stick which he had thrown aside, the cloak which had fallen from his shoulders, seemed an intolerable burden of which he had been eased. (p130)
What Maugham does very well throughout the novel is examine the ideas of religion and morality, along with the meaning of life. It's interesting to see Philip's uncle, the vicar, struggling towards the end of his life with a painful thought that he may not be in for eternal peace after all. Along with religion, Maugham uses Philip's time in Paris to discuss art and philosophy. Many of the characters Philip encounters there become merely mouthpieces for ideas Maugham wants to impart.
I enjoyed this book, although I wanted to hit Philip. I think it's worth reading for the ruminations on humanity but don't go to it for character. Go to it for the sheer ease of storytelling or go to it for the intricate scenes Maugham depicts throughout the pages. It may not be an enthralling read but I did come away with knowledge I'm not sure I recognised before.
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