On the cover of my edition of The Razor's Edge is a quote from Theodore Dreiser: "Maugham is a great artist...A genius." And I wholeheartedly agree. Since picking up Of Human Bondage in my final year of college, one of the only novels that has moved me to tears, I've counted Maugham among my favorite authors. I admire his writing style—lucid, direct, effortlessly elegant—as well as his sharp observer's eye, masterfully paced storytelling, and astonishing capacity for breathing life into his characters.
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The Razor's Edge is often summarized as the story of Larry Darrell, a young American who, after witnessing one of his friends die before his eyes while serving in WWI, embarks on a vague spiritual quest. The cast revolving around him includes his former fianceé, Isabel Bradley, and her new husband, Gray Maturin, a successful businessman. There's also Maugham himself, who uniquely inserts himself into the story as a somewhat detached narrator, and Maugham's friend Elliott Templeton—one of Maugham's most brilliant, hilarious, and memorable creations. While Elliott is an incurable snob and social climber, one can't help but love the American expatriate for his generosity and heart of gold. Elliott is also Isabel's uncle, serving as the thread between Maugham and the younger crew.
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While the novel's theme is spiritual discovery, its message is subtle. Isabel, Gray, and Elliott—choosing to pursue material wealth and status over knowledge—aren't condemned as they would be by a more moralistic author. Yes, they possess the foibles that make us human, but we get the impression that they're not entirely bad people or, at least, that we're left to judge them for ourselves. Through his artfully captured characters, Maugham shows us the various ways that Man approaches and relates to whatever he conceives as divine. And, in the end, the message may be: Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself; each person must create his own pattern and thus make of life something bearable.
On the cover of my edition of The Razor's Edge is a quote from Theodore Dreiser: "Maugham is a great artist...A genius." And I wholeheartedly agree. Since picking up Of Human Bondage in my final year of college, one of the only novels that has moved me to tears, I've counted Maugham among my favorite authors. I admire his writing style—lucid, direct, effortlessly elegant—as well as his sharp observer's eye, masterfully paced storytelling, and astonishing capacity for breathing life into his characters.
‍
The Razor's Edge is often summarized as the story of Larry Darrell, a young American who, after witnessing one of his friends die before his eyes while serving in WWI, embarks on a vague spiritual quest. The cast revolving around him includes his former fianceé, Isabel Bradley, and her new husband, Gray Maturin, a successful businessman. There's also Maugham himself, who uniquely inserts himself into the story as a somewhat detached narrator, and Maugham's friend Elliott Templeton—one of Maugham's most brilliant, hilarious, and memorable creations. While Elliott is an incurable snob and social climber, one can't help but love the American expatriate for his generosity and heart of gold. Elliott is also Isabel's uncle, serving as the thread between Maugham and the younger crew.
‍
While the novel's theme is spiritual discovery, its message is subtle. Isabel, Gray, and Elliott—choosing to pursue material wealth and status over knowledge—aren't condemned as they would be by a more moralistic author. Yes, they possess the foibles that make us human, but we get the impression that they're not entirely bad people or, at least, that we're left to judge them for ourselves. Through his artfully captured characters, Maugham shows us the various ways that Man approaches and relates to whatever he conceives as divine. And, in the end, the message may be: Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself; each person must create his own pattern and thus make of life something bearable.
On the cover of my edition of The Razor's Edge is a quote from Theodore Dreiser: "Maugham is a great artist...A genius." And I wholeheartedly agree. Since picking up Of Human Bondage in my final year of college, one of the only novels that has moved me to tears, I've counted Maugham among my favorite authors. I admire his writing style—lucid, direct, effortlessly elegant—as well as his sharp observer's eye, masterfully paced storytelling, and astonishing capacity for breathing life into his characters.
‍
The Razor's Edge is often summarized as the story of Larry Darrell, a young American who, after witnessing one of his friends die before his eyes while serving in WWI, embarks on a vague spiritual quest. The cast revolving around him includes his former fianceé, Isabel Bradley, and her new husband, Gray Maturin, a successful businessman. There's also Maugham himself, who uniquely inserts himself into the story as a somewhat detached narrator, and Maugham's friend Elliott Templeton—one of Maugham's most brilliant, hilarious, and memorable creations. While Elliott is an incurable snob and social climber, one can't help but love the American expatriate for his generosity and heart of gold. Elliott is also Isabel's uncle, serving as the thread between Maugham and the younger crew.
‍
While the novel's theme is spiritual discovery, its message is subtle. Isabel, Gray, and Elliott—choosing to pursue material wealth and status over knowledge—aren't condemned as they would be by a more moralistic author. Yes, they possess the foibles that make us human, but we get the impression that they're not entirely bad people or, at least, that we're left to judge them for ourselves. Through his artfully captured characters, Maugham shows us the various ways that Man approaches and relates to whatever he conceives as divine. And, in the end, the message may be: Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself; each person must create his own pattern and thus make of life something bearable.
On the cover of my edition of The Razor's Edge is a quote from Theodore Dreiser: "Maugham is a great artist...A genius." And I wholeheartedly agree. Since picking up Of Human Bondage in my final year of college, one of the only novels that has moved me to tears, I've counted Maugham among my favorite authors. I admire his writing style—lucid, direct, effortlessly elegant—as well as his sharp observer's eye, masterfully paced storytelling, and astonishing capacity for breathing life into his characters.
‍
The Razor's Edge is often summarized as the story of Larry Darrell, a young American who, after witnessing one of his friends die before his eyes while serving in WWI, embarks on a vague spiritual quest. The cast revolving around him includes his former fianceé, Isabel Bradley, and her new husband, Gray Maturin, a successful businessman. There's also Maugham himself, who uniquely inserts himself into the story as a somewhat detached narrator, and Maugham's friend Elliott Templeton—one of Maugham's most brilliant, hilarious, and memorable creations. While Elliott is an incurable snob and social climber, one can't help but love the American expatriate for his generosity and heart of gold. Elliott is also Isabel's uncle, serving as the thread between Maugham and the younger crew.
‍
While the novel's theme is spiritual discovery, its message is subtle. Isabel, Gray, and Elliott—choosing to pursue material wealth and status over knowledge—aren't condemned as they would be by a more moralistic author. Yes, they possess the foibles that make us human, but we get the impression that they're not entirely bad people or, at least, that we're left to judge them for ourselves. Through his artfully captured characters, Maugham shows us the various ways that Man approaches and relates to whatever he conceives as divine. And, in the end, the message may be: Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself; each person must create his own pattern and thus make of life something bearable.
On the cover of my edition of The Razor's Edge is a quote from Theodore Dreiser: "Maugham is a great artist...A genius." And I wholeheartedly agree. Since picking up Of Human Bondage in my final year of college, one of the only novels that has moved me to tears, I've counted Maugham among my favorite authors. I admire his writing style—lucid, direct, effortlessly elegant—as well as his sharp observer's eye, masterfully paced storytelling, and astonishing capacity for breathing life into his characters.
‍
The Razor's Edge is often summarized as the story of Larry Darrell, a young American who, after witnessing one of his friends die before his eyes while serving in WWI, embarks on a vague spiritual quest. The cast revolving around him includes his former fianceé, Isabel Bradley, and her new husband, Gray Maturin, a successful businessman. There's also Maugham himself, who uniquely inserts himself into the story as a somewhat detached narrator, and Maugham's friend Elliott Templeton—one of Maugham's most brilliant, hilarious, and memorable creations. While Elliott is an incurable snob and social climber, one can't help but love the American expatriate for his generosity and heart of gold. Elliott is also Isabel's uncle, serving as the thread between Maugham and the younger crew.
‍
While the novel's theme is spiritual discovery, its message is subtle. Isabel, Gray, and Elliott—choosing to pursue material wealth and status over knowledge—aren't condemned as they would be by a more moralistic author. Yes, they possess the foibles that make us human, but we get the impression that they're not entirely bad people or, at least, that we're left to judge them for ourselves. Through his artfully captured characters, Maugham shows us the various ways that Man approaches and relates to whatever he conceives as divine. And, in the end, the message may be: Man is nothing else but that which he makes of himself; each person must create his own pattern and thus make of life something bearable.
