Hello, I've just finished Human Bondage and I have to say that I greatly enjoyed it. I was really taken by it. I have The Moon and Sixpence and I'm going to read that next. Thanks.
Thanks Brian, I will get near to the end of this and then order a couple of those. I'm going to be spending most of today on the sofa reading this as I can't move much anyway having hurt my back (getting better though) - also the wife and kids are off out so I have some peace as well. Thanks for the suggestions.
Hi Neely, Glad you are enjoying Of Human Bondage, it is much longer and also quite different from Maugham's other novels. Some people have commented on the ending being somewhat inconclusive but it must have been difficult to have ended it in any other way considering that the nature of the story is one of total disillusion. As a literary man I'm sure you would find Cakes and Ale a great read as the protagonist is based on Thomas Hardy and it is also very funny in parts. I can recommend The Moon and Sixpence as probably one of the most penetrating books about what motivates the artistic temperament; it's quite simply brilliant. I would recommend almost anything by Maugham but two other outstanding novels are The Razor's Edge and The Narrow Corner.The short stories are in a class of their own. You are right about his uncluttered prose, it is one of the things that critics have often commented on.
Hi Brian, is it you who is a big fan of Maugham? I'm sure it is. I'm just reading On Human Bondage at the mo, greatly enjoying it and Maugham's uncluttered prose (I've previously read Painted Veil.) I think I'd like to read more Maugham after this, would you have any particular recommendations at all? Thanks, Neely.
Hi there Neely, I just realised that I didn't tell you that I have accepted your friendship offer. Thanks.
Hi, no problem. Yes I agree with your points. I thought it was an interesting angle to tell the story though the female characters, it put Georges on the outside, but in doing so it lessened the impact of him as a character and of course it meant we lost the crunch of the prose. But it passed a while...
Hi Neely, Thanks for the link to Bel Ami. It is an interesting standpoint to tell the story through the eyes of characters in the story. On balance, this first episode seems to work reasonably well although reported speech cannot replace the prose of the original novel. For example, saying that Forrestier accidentally met Duroy and loaned him some money, doesn't match the sheer luck of a chance meeting on the Champs-Elysees that transformed a penniless ex-soldier from a non-entity into a figure of great affluence and power. The depiction of the parvenu is a familier one in French literature from Balzac through to Zola but Maupassant's use of the theme is simply riveting.
Hi, there is a dramatisation of Bel Ami on the BBC i-player if you are interested and have the time. Here is the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...Ami_Episode_1/ Kind regards.
Which post was that? I have posted a number of posts re Maupassant and don't remember the last one. However, Bel Ami is certainly his finest novel but Une Vie,( in English 'A Woman's Life,') is also riveting reading. The other novels do not match up but are still worth reading if only to follow Maupassant's development as a writer. The short stories are, like all short stories, variable. Nevertheless there are some marvellous examples of the genre to be found, particularly ' A Piece of String.'
Totally agree with your post on Maupassant. Bel Ami just blew me away from the start to finish. Ordering more More Maupassant right now.
