num_pages: 720
description: Of Human Bondage is of the most widely read novels of the twentieth century, W. Somerset Maugham's masterpiece, gives a harrowing depiction of unrequited love. Philip Carey, a sensitive orphan born with a clubfoot, finds himself in desperate need of passion and inspiration. He abandons his studies to travel, first to Heidelberg, and then to Paris, where he nurses ambitions of becoming a great artist. Philip's youthful idealism erodes, however, as he comes face-to-face with his own mediocrity and lack of impact on the world. After returning to London to study medicine, he becomes wildly infatuated with Mildred, a vulgar, tawdry waitress, and begins a doomed love affair that will change the course of his life. First published in 1915, the semi-autobiographical Of Human Bondage combines the values left over from the Victorian era with the prevailing irony and despair of the early twentieth century. Unsentimental yet bursting with deep feeling, Of Human Bondage remains Maugham's most complete statement of the importance of physical and spiritual liberty, a theme that resounds more loudly than ever today.
language: English
title: Of Human Bondage
titlecomplete: Of Human Bondage
characters: Fanny Price (Of Human Bondage), Dr. South, Frederick Lawson, Hayward, Sally Athelny, Ruth Chalice, Philip Carey, Thorpe Athelny, Dr. Tyrell, Mildred Rogers, Emily Wilkinson, Cronshaw, Harry Griffiths, Betty Athelny, Norah Nesbit, Louisa Carey
genres: 20th Century, Novels, Literature, Romance, Classics, Classic Literature, Fiction, Literary Fiction, British Literature, Coming Of Age
ratings_count: 55906
places: London, England, Brighton and Hove, Sussex, England, England, Blackstable, Kent, England, Heidelberg, Paris
publisher: Sterling Publishing