Of Human Bondage (Signet Classics)
by W. Somerset Maugham
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Book Summary Information
Author: W. Somerset MaughamIntroduction: Benjamin DeMott
Afterword: Maeve Binchy
Edition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-01-02
ISBN: 0451530179
Number of pages: 704
Publisher: Signet Classics
Book Reviews of Of Human Bondage (Signet Classics)
Book Review: One of the 20th Century's Greatest Novels
Summary: 5 Stars
Of Human Bondage is W. Somerset Maugham's most famous work and generally considered his masterpiece. It is also probably the greatest bildungsroman ever written and one of the twentieth century's chief novels for its manifold excellences: characterization, style, depth, range, and more. There is hardly a fine literary quality lacking, and they coalesce to form a powerful, moving, and unforgettable masterwork.
Essentially a fictional biography, the novel is the story of Philip Carey from shortly after birth until about middle age. Unlike many bildungsromans, it is told in third-person, but the focus rarely leaves Philip. Like most people, his life has many ups and downs, and they are portrayed so believably and sympathetically that we feel his alternating hope and despair along with him. He experiences nearly every human emotion throughout the book, and they are dramatized with such verisimilitude that we feel they are ours. And indeed they are; Maugham makes sure to include enough atypical events to make the book interesting, but the core of Philip's experience is central to the human condition. The novel is to a large degree based on Maugham's own life, which is important for those interested in his biography, but critics have unfortunately stressed this so much that it overshadows far more important universal elements. As growing up is much the same everywhere, nearly everyone can relate in some way and many quite closely. Maugham depicts emotional profundity and immediacy more strongly and viscerally than perhaps any writer, and we are able to relive much of our lives through Philip. We feel his childhood joys and pained confusion, his adolescent struggles and doubts, his young adult exuberance and uncertainty, and his older ambiguity. There is much pathos but also elation and triumph - indeed pretty much everything but comedy. Much of the power comes from the reality that, again like nearly everyone, Philip is far from perfect; intelligent, sensitive, and ambitious but sometimes vain and selfish, he has many conventionally good and admirable qualities but also clear faults. This makes him far easier to identify with than some lofty hero. Simply put, the novel truly gets to the heart of what it means to be human, portraying it more vividly and realistically than nearly any work, and it hardly seems possible to be human and not be moved by it.
The excellent characterization also goes beyond Philip. All the characters are realistically drawn, and many seem so alive that they practically jump off the page. It would be hard to forget Philip's tender mother, his stern and lifeless uncle, his aloof but well-meaning aunt, and many other characters. The main one after Philip is Mildred, his unwanted obsession. She is one of the least likable characters in all literature but nonetheless in many ways fascinating. It is a testament to Maugham's art that he draws characters so well and precisely that we react just as he wants. When we realize the novel was published in 1915, it is also easy to see that he was truly pushing the proverbial envelope content-wise in regard to sexual and other matters - an important fact for which he rarely gets credit.
The novel is also of great historical value for its detailed and ever-fascinating glimpse into late nineteenth-century European life. We learn much about rural England, childhood education, London, Paris and especially its art schools, the medical and ecclesiastical professions, Germany and language schools, and far more. Much of it is interesting to sociologists and others of their ilk as well as historians, particularly the bleak depictions of poverty and labor. The novel is a wake-up call of sorts to those who exalt one era over others, as it clearly shows that all have pros and cons. Some champion the late Victorian era as an artistic high point, and we indeed get a glimpse of a cultural height far exceeding ours. However, there was also a very substantial dark side, and it is impossible to read this without a sense of just how much the developed world has improved in some ways. Of Human Bondage can thus also be seen as a historical novel in the best sense.
However, the greatest asset for many will be the dramatization of various weighty themes and ideas. Simply showing a fairly representative human life believably and movingly is enough art for most, but some high examples - e.g., David Copperfield - leave a vocal minority cold by not tackling the philosophical, theological, and other heavy issues that have been literature's, and especially long novels', top concerns for over a century. Of Human Bondage does this as much as possible in a novel of its kind - and indeed more than many claiming to do little else. Recurring difficulties cause Philip to question many assumptions, namely religion, and struggle to find meaning. This eventually leads him to abandon religion, a gradual and often painful process that the novel details in a very lifelike, meaningfully moving, and thought-provoking way. Its consequences are similarly shown, and religion opponents will find much to like, as the book advances many of their ends without the heavy-handedness that turns off so many. Palatability comes mainly from being dramatized through a believable and sympathetic character who starts out religious. We see how and why he loses faith rather than just being told, and the descriptions, along with consequent arguments, are very convincing. Much the same can be said of Philip's love and desire struggles; the Mildred case may be somewhat extreme, but almost anyone can identify - and sympathize - with love's ups and downs as he feels them.
The novel also examines fate's existence or non-existence in various ways. Philip seems to vacillate slightly but clearly ends up believing in free will. However, the book itself arguably gives the overall impression of predestination as illustrated in its enduring chessboard metaphor. Less universally, but importantly for a work of art, the book also examines art and artists' social role. This is notable and interesting because the book is set in the late 1800s, the Aesthetic movement's height and the era when the question was most debated in modern times. A lover of reading and would-be painter, Philip begins adulthood with a very aesthetic view, but failures lead him to change. He ends up adopting a very traditional stance while keeping his love for art, and the narrative voice makes a strong case for such practicality as the only way to true happiness. This might seem surprising from an artist like Maugham, and elements such as the ambiguous depiction of the poet Cronshaw suggest that Maugham and the novel, if not Philip, think there is much to be said for the other side. Other Maugham books indeed come to near-opposite conclusions, but this is his most full-fledged and arguably most convincing presentation.
Most fundamental are Philip's varying encounters with humanity's best and worst sides. The novel unflinchingly depicts many things that add grist to misanthropy's mill: seemingly preternaturally cruel children, hypocritical preachers, unrewarded genius, classism, apathy toward supposed loved ones as well as poverty and other sufferings, the lower classes' wretched lives, prostitution's horrors, and more. Maugham is certainly unafraid to show society's dark underbelly, and though depression is not his goal, he portrays this dark side more precisely - and thus appallingly - than many writers who make exposing it their only goal. However, he also shows the opposite side, and Philip's pained search for meaning - with all its doubts, failures, second guesses, sudden shattered hopes, and all the rest of it - ends in what Maugham calls a "surrender to happiness." Philip knows there is no god or traditional meaning and can torture himself forever with philosophical hair-splitting, but hard experience has taught him that happiness is extremely rare and that one must seize it for proverbial dear life if a chance is ever mercifully given. This may be caving to convention in many ways but is the only way to even temporarily secure happiness in an existential world; as the novel memorably concludes, it is "a defeat better than many victories" if indeed a defeat. Like many secular people, he finds solace finally in love's redemptive power, and it is very hard for even the most cynical to begrudge his happiness. Philip is in a large sense a mirror for our lives, and most can only hope that they will some day see such a contented reflection, however hard won.
Finally, it is worth noting that much of the book's power comes from precisely sculpted prose. Maugham is well-known as one of the twentieth century's best and most influential stylists, and this is the apex of his economical prose. Those who want flashy, trope-laden writing may think him plain, and he is certainly unornamented, but he is one of the few writers who truly understands and adheres to Jonathan Swift's famous definition of good style: "proper words in proper places." It sounds absurdly simple, but anyone who has read widely knows how very rarely it is followed. Maugham knows exactly what words are needed to convey what he wants and does not need to use more. This novel is a testament to how much depth and emotion one can get across in a properly done simple style.
All told, the novel is essential for anyone who likes nineteenth- or twentieth-century fiction, bildungsromans, or historical novels as well as those interested in the era and those who are simply receptive to great art. Of Human Bondage reaches the sublime heights of the nineteenth century's best novels, and very few later books can even rival it; we may never see another novel like it - much less as good as it -, making it all the more essential.
Summary of Of Human Bondage (Signet Classics)
From an orphan with a clubfoot, Philip Carey grows into an impressionable young man with a voracious appetite for adventure and knowledge. Then he falls obsessively in love, embarking on a disastrous relationship that will change his life forever.
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