I am surprised to find that this novel that was written around a hundred years ago can be so entertaining and full of ideas that are still so inspiring . Though we may be very different from Philip, the protagonist, as he seems to be unable to feel or love as ordinary people (probably due to his deformity and the fact that he became an orphan at an early age, and was brought up by a clegryman that was far from truly compassionate or religious), there are a lot of thought provoking ideas for us to brood over, including those on life, work, one's career, religion etc.
Day-to-day work for ordinary people can be boring. Yet, we seldom come to dwell on the fact that for quite a number of people, they don't need to be talented to do what they are doing to make a living, or even a fortune. With aggressive characters, mediocre people can be even more successful than people who have real talents, no matter whether they be doctors or lawyers. Yet, the point is, if a person is not talented, and does not believe so, it can be tragic. When Philip asked Lawson "I wonder if it's worthwhile being a second-rate painter. You see, in other things, if you're a doctor or if you're in business, it doesn't matter so much if you're mediocre. You make a living and you get along. But what is the good of turning out second-rate pictures?" Perhaps, there may still be exceptions, second-rate pictures can be sold and hanged on ordinary people's homes as mere decorations. Lots of craftsmen are doing that for a living nowadays. So,there is still nothing either bad or good, but thinking make it so, that is, what the person wants himself to be.
When Philip was thinking of quitting art and asked Monsieur Foinet for advice, Monsieur Foinet's opinion was that "money is like a sixth sense without which you cannot make a complete use of the other five". So, being too cynical about earning enough to cultivate one's own interests does not help to make a person a greater artist in any sense. And it is doubtful whether one should see the endurance of hardships as directly correlated to inspiration for creation.
The protagonist's relationships with women in this book is particularly weird. Miss Wilkinson was a lot older than him. Fanny Price seemed to be a character from a horror movie. Norah seemed to be a pleasant and clever woman, but she looked rather unattractive according to the writer's descriptions. And Philip's self-abusive relationship with Mildred probably serves to explain how some people love in a rather irrational manner. It may be totally out of other people's understanding. So, we may keep on reading about how Philip rejected the love of women that were good to him and debased himself for loving a woman that didn't deserve his love at all. In the end, I started to question whether it was real love that was involved, or rather, human relationships are somehow a reflection of one's self-esteem or psychological state of mind.
This book is full of unusal characters. They are not common, ordinary people we encounter in our daily life. What makes it so interesting is that the characters' behaviours are very unusal and unpredictable. When Philip was invited to pass comments on Fanny Price's paintings, the descriptions about the fact that she was totally unaware of her lack of talents in art and her confidence over her horrible works probably serve to astonished the readers. In fact, comic and tragic elements often co-exist in incidents such as the funeral of Aunt Louisa, Fanny Price's brother's request for a visit to the Mont-martre right after the burial of his sister. People's behaviours can be so outrageous that there is obviously a sardonic undertone in Maugham's descriptions. Those people obviously cared more about trivial matters around them, in other words, they were more concerned about themselves than the people that were actually involved in those incidents, even if they be their close relative and life companion.
Many people have written essays which suggest that this book is Somerset Maugham's autobigraphy. If this is really his autobiography, it definitely explains why he had been a spy before. Spys need to be callous in a way in order to be successful. When I was reading the description on how the train was pulling out of Blackstable when Aunt Louisa saw him off after giving all her money to him, I couldn't help thinking that he was a bit heartless in forgetting all about her when she was out of his sight.
In reality, Maugham started writing this book as a young man, and he put the half-finished scripts aside for 15 years before he picked it up again as a middle-aged man and went on writing. Yet, as the book is about how a young boy grows up, the passage of time definitely gives the book more solid descriptions on how the other characters (Cronshaw, Philip's uncle) behave and think.
On the other hand, modern technology really helps us to enjoy reading more. When I came to the part on Philip's life in France, I simply couldn't visualize the various paintings as I don't have the background of an art student. Yet, as I browsed through the webs, all the paintings and details about the artists then popped up immediately on the screen, adding immediate pleasure to reading. Say, if there is no such means as convenient as browsing the web, it might have taken me ages to imagine how Somerset Maugham means by describing the woman who cohabited with Cronshaw as "Bohemienne in the Louvre by Franz Hals". Or I would have no idea at all about the arguments in respect of the skills used in painting "Olympia". Yet, I still think that electronic means are definitely no substitute to books. With the beautifully designed cover and printed pages, I think books can be a piece of artwork to me. Besides, you don't have the satisfaction of flipping over the pages, and knowing that you are getting near to finish reading a book, if you don't have the actual object in your hands.
No comments:
Post a Comment