"The burden of human passions": reader reviews, summary, reviews of critics

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

"The Burden of Human Passion" is one of the iconic works of William Somerset Maugham, a novel that brought the writer worldwide fame. If in doubt whether to read or not to read the work, you should familiarize yourself with the plot of "The Burden of Human Passions" by William Maugham. Reviews of the novel will also be presented in the article.

Summary

The novel is about a long period of formation of the personality of a young man Philip Curry, about finding himself, meaning in life, first love and the formation of values. The novel covers the hero's growing up from childhood to the age when, having gone through all the trials of youth, the character turns out to be mature and stable in his views.

Philip, orphaned early, is raised by his uncle in accordance with strict religious guidelines. He has a physical ailment that causes him great discomfort - this is lameness in one leg. Because of his deficiency, the boy suffers from bullying by his peers throughout his childhood, and also blames himself, believing that he is prevented from healing by the lack of unconditional faith in God and the inability to pray with full dedication.

Having gone to Berlin to get an education, Philip meets a young man who, not distinguished by high intelligence, but claiming to be, significantly influences the views of the main character. The character shares the friend's atheistic beliefs, believing that it is necessary to observe moral standards that are generated by conscience, but not by blind faith.

A year later, upon returning home, the hero meets his first love, which, however, does not differ in depth: Philip soon realizes that he fell in love not with a real person, but with a beautiful image drawn by the imagination.

Next, the main character leaves for London to study accounting. This happens at the insistence of his uncle and brings only disappointment, Philip feels the routine and boredom of paper and computing work.

The hero decides to join old friends who are studying art in Paris. Such a choice goes against the will of the uncle, but at first it brings satisfaction: the opportunity to become part of the creative circle of the capital captivates the young man with its romance.

A new love drama leads to another change in outlook, after which the main character goes to London with the intention of becoming a doctor. Here he finally meets a woman who is ready to give love, take care of him and seems to suit him perfectly. But the meeting with the waitress,once exciting Philip's imagination, revives old feelings in him.

Probably, the relationship with this girl, who is not distinguished by either intelligence, or caring, or sublimity of aspirations, becomes a turning point: they are full of mutual insults, pain and obviously pull the young man down and do not allow him to develop. Only when he was at the very bottom, without money, without love, without work, Philip came to his senses and found the strength to fix everything.

In the last chapters of the book, the hero finishes his studies and begins medical practice, meets a worthy girl and proposes to her, stops asking endless unanswered questions about the meaning of life and learns to find joy in earthly and simple, but important things - in the family, home, work.

About the author

Author of "The Burden of Human Passion" Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874 to a lawyer's family.

The first novels he wrote ("Lisa of Lambeth", "Mrs. Craddock") were not very successful. However, the writer made a firm decision to devote himself entirely to a literary career. Success came in the field of dramaturgy: the author was especially good at dialogues. Subsequently, Maugham became a recognized and we althy writer. About twenty of his great works and a huge number of stories and short stories have now been published and translated into Russian.

Critic reviews

Critics have written a lot of positive reviews about "The Burden of Human Passion" by William Maugham.

It is customary to attribute the work to the genre of "noveleducation". That is, it is put on a par with such books as "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte, "Education of the Senses" by Gustave Flaubert or "An Ordinary Story" by Ivan Goncharov, which also tells about the path of a person growing up. Maugham focuses on the relationship between external changes in the love and career of the hero and the internal state, current ideas about the future.

The author does not bring to the fore the influence of the political and social life of that time (the action of the novel takes place at the beginning of the 20th century), he equally considers the importance of society, the closest social circle and inner understanding in the formation of a character. The surrounding world, including both the bohemian and the so-called "high" society, is described by Maugham in a characteristically ironic manner with great attention to detail.

In reviews of Somerset Maugham's "The Burden of Human Passions", critics pay attention to a large number of deep philosophical reflections and a difficult ideological message of the novel. The writer not only raises the question of the meaning of life and the right path in it, but also offers his own answer. Probably, the answer that the character comes to will not satisfy someone and not everyone will like it, but it seems to be close enough to the author: happiness is in simplicity, unpretentiousness, gratitude to fate.

Many people call Maugham's book "The Burden of Human Passions" a program in Somerset Maugham's work. The theme of overcoming earthly base motives and the search for a spiritual principle in oneself is one of the key ones in almost every of his books. This and"Moon and penny" or "Theater", where art and talent are the winners in the fight against everyday life, earthly troubles, age, as well as "The Razor's Edge", where mercy comes to the fore.

At the same time, in terms of style and plot, the novel is somewhat atypical for the writer. Firstly, the distance between him and his main character is so small that many called "The Burden of Human Passions" a biography. Secondly, Maugham, as in no other work before, makes the reader empathize with the hero, abandoning the usual writer's mask of an aloof satirist. Although the author has repeatedly emphasized how important it is for him to remain an observer, albeit sometimes subjective and interested.

Maugham's irony, if it appears, does not look angry or one-sided. The writer only states the existing shortcomings and contradictions in the thoughts and character of the character. Taking into account many autobiographical details, it can be interpreted as the author's critical look at himself in his younger years.

Negative criticism

As for the negative reviews of Maugham's "The Burden of Human Passion", the most discussed and misunderstood was the storyline dedicated to Philip's relationship with the waitress Mildred, and the fact that a huge amount of text was devoted to her.

In particular, many people call Philip's inexplicable tolerance and mercy towards the girl, despite the most unpleasant joint past.

Readers and critics repeatedly have questions about how deepand a good-hearted young man without a memory to fall in love with an unremarkable and frankly empty, immoral woman? Why does he endure her whims and stay with her, although the misfortune of both is obvious? Why does he help her even when she no longer loves her?

Some of the readers in a review of the book "The Burden of Human Passions" finds the answer in the propensity of the hero to masochism, reproaching the author for the unworthiness and even absurdity of the behavior of the characters of the love line. But they explain the strange attraction of Philip in another way - precisely as a manifestation of the inconsistency of a person, embedded deep in his essence. After all, the ambiguity of people's nature is the key motive of many of the author's works.

Overcoming this particular inexplicable passion is one of the main stages in the hero's moral development and achieving harmony.

Another well-known complaint about the novel is the ambiguity of the ending. Finding a family, a job, the transition from endless searches to everyday work, a calm, measured life is served by Maugham as a happy ending.

The authors of reviews of the book "The Burden of Human Passions" object: how can a character's usual immersion in routine be considered a good ending? There is not even any indication in the novel that Philip is experiencing true love for his future wife. And the girl herself is pragmatic and, although her mature wisdom is an undoubted advantage, she clearly does not burn with romantic feelings.

Heroes have a life ahead of them that seems good, but too banal, not uplifting or inspiring.

In contrast to such an accusationarguments are given by other critics who believe that Philip reasonably determined the main values \u200b\u200bfor himself and will build his future life in accordance with them. In addition, the writer does not deviate from the realistic style of narration, and the ending of the book remains within the framework of a realistic development of events. The hero, having passed a difficult path, understood a lot, and it is not at all necessary that readers must necessarily fully agree with his conclusions. It is unlikely that the author claimed to have invented a "recipe for happiness" suitable for everyone.

Author's opinion

Despite the numerous positive reviews of contemporaries, the author himself did not consider the novel to be his best work. Subsequently, he emphasized the role of chance in the fact that the work became so popular. In the book "Summing up", where the writer discusses his own works and reveals some of the secrets of their writing, Maugham mentions several famous American writers who gave the novel high praise in a timely manner. He thanks them for the scale of the book's fame.

Somerset Maugham described his novel as somewhat drawn out, admitting that at the time of its writing he was influenced by the then prevailing general ideas about a book significant for fiction. At that time, a long and highly detailed work was recognized as a masterpiece. In his later years, Maugham even rewrote the novel, excluding large pieces of text and striving for brevity, but the early version of the novel remained in demand and more recognized.

What else do they turn toReaders' attention in reviews of Somerset Maugham's "The Burden of Human Passions"? Many note that from the point of view of working with the word, the writer considered clarity and simplicity to be the key principles when writing a novel, refusing the then fashionable, but not always appropriate, metaphorical presentation and emphasized sophistication of the style.

Reaction of contemporaries

Published in 1915, Maugham's novel "The Burden of Human Passions" was immediately very warmly received both at home and abroad. It turned out to be attractive to the reader by the absence of explicit propaganda of any particular ideology. At the same time, the position of the author is clear and manifests itself mainly not in words, but in the behavior of the hero.

The author's non-standard for that time approach to prescribing the characters' motivation turned out to be well received. Most of the actions performed by the characters on the pages of the novel are explained primarily by personal characteristics of character, and not by position in society or belonging to a certain class. For Somerset Maugham, personalities matter. Universality and high collectivity, the description of a whole generation or a large category of people is not typical for the novel.

For example, Maugham explains the rejection of Philip's religious beliefs instilled in childhood by the fact that the young man by nature had no predisposition to faith.

The writer fundamentally refuses to give a detailed transfer of the political and social situation in which the characters are. According to him, novels, the action of which is too closelytied to time and place of action, lose relevance too quickly.

Whether the writer is right or not, it's hard to argue with the fact that Somerset Maugham's book "The Burden of Human Passions" was interesting to the writer's contemporaries and remains so for the current reader.

Autobiographical motifs in the novel

"The burden of human passions" is not an autobiography in the strict sense of the word. There are many fictional and collective images in the novel. However, many key events in the life of the main character of the book and its author coincide.

Like Philip, the writer was orphaned early and was raised by his uncle in an atmosphere of religiosity and strictness.

Somerset Maugham endows his hero with a significant physical defect - lameness. The disease causes great suffering to the boy - the evil ridicule of his peers leads to great shyness and low self-esteem. The writer himself suffered all his childhood because of another shortcoming - stuttering.

As a result, being a rather reclusive child, Maugham became interested in books early and called reading his favorite pastime, which again unites him with Philip.

The character of the book, like the author, receives a medical education, having received many life lessons during his studies. He closely encounters poverty and has lived for several years in severe financial difficulties, getting to know people of various views and social status.

The writer does not deny that many of the thoughts expressed by the hero about philosophy, science, literature, art andrelations with people are his own views at one time or another in his life.

The author admits that not all the events described in the book were experienced by him personally. Some he watched from the side, but they had a great influence on him. Be that as it may, the writer, in his own words, had to experience the feelings and emotions of Philip Curry.

Characters

In addition to the protagonist of the novel, whom the reader observes throughout the development of the plot, there are many rather remarkable characters in the book who are no less detailed and introduce a certain philosophical thought into Philip's life that influences his views.

For example, the poet Cronshaw deserves attention, arguing in accessible terms about the theory of determinism. Having studied some of the author's other works ("Catalina", "Patterned Veil"), one can see that a character with a similar worldview appears in Maugham more than once.

To read or not to read

After reading the feedback from readers, you can see that the book was most to the taste of those who read it in their youth, since at this age the most relevant issues of self-determination, which are inevitably accompanied by dilemmas and doubts.

The choice of books to read is very individual, but it's safe to say that "The Burden of Human Passions" is worth reading. Many readers consider the novel to be a significant work, a must-read for all cultured people. Literary critics have long included the novel in a hundredbest works of the millennium. The book leaves few people indifferent.

Original or translation

In reviews of the novel, readers note the author's excellent style, his light and at the same time recognizable style. Interestingly, the writer's native language was French, and he fully mastered English only by the age of 10-12.

At the disposal of the Russian reader, in case it is not possible to read the original work, there are several translations that are considered quite good.

For example, the translation by E. Golysheva and B. Izakov, edited by S. Markish, is widespread, preserving the style of the writer's narration as much as possible.

Of course, some linguistic and semantic subtleties are extremely difficult to convey when translating. So anyone who can boast of a good command of English, it is preferable to read the novel in the original.