作家毛姆生平英文PPT.ppt 18页

SomersetMaughamafamousBritishnovelist﹑playwrightandshortstorywriter.(25January1874–16December1965) section1BriefIntroductionofhislife Childhood8yearsoldhismomdied,twoyearslaterhisfatherdied.MaughamwassenttotheUKtobecaredforbyhisuncle,HenryMacDonaldMaugham..hisuncleprovedcoldandemotionallycruel,hisnewschoolwasalsodifficultforhim.HewasteasedforhisbadEnglish(Frenchhadbeenhisfirstlanguage)andhisshortstature,whichheinheritedfromhisfather. ChildhoodMiserablebothathisuncle"svicarageandatschool,theyoungMaughamdevelopedatalentformakingwoundingremarkstothosewhodispleasedhim.ThisabilityissometimesreflectedinMaugham"sliterarycharacters. CareerMaugham"sfatherandthreeolderbrotherswerealldistinguishedlawyers,butMaughamaskedtobeexcusedfromthedutyoffollowingintheirfootsteps.Maughamhadbeenwritingsteadilysincetheageof15andferventlywishedtobecomeanauthor，butlaterhestudiedmedicineatthemedicalschool，meetingpeopleofa"low"sortwhomhewouldneverhavemetotherwise,andseeingthematatimeofheightenedanxietyandmeaningintheirlives. CareerIn1897,hepublishedhisfirstnovel,LizaofLambeth,ataleofworking-classadulteryanditsconsequences.LizaofLambeth"sfirstprintrunsoldoutinamatterofweeks.Maugham,whohadqualifiedasamedic,droppedmedicineandembarkedonhis65-yearcareerasamanofletters.Helatersaid,"Itooktoitasaducktakestowater." MarriageDuringhisyearinHeidelbergMaughammetandhadasexualaffairwithJohnEllinghamBrooks,anEnglishmantenyearshissenior.Althoughhomosexual,MaughamenteredintoarelationshipwithSyrieWellcome,anAmerican-bornEnglishpharmaceuticalmagnate.HenryWellcomesuedhiswifefordivorce,namingMaughamasco-respondent.Themarriagewasunhappy,andSyriedivorcedhimin1929,findinghisrelationshipandtravelswithHaxtontoodifficulttolivewith. MarriageMaugham"slovelifewasalmostneversmooth.Heonceconfessed:"IhavemostlovedpeoplewhocaredlittleornothingformeandwhenpeoplehavelovedmeIhavebeenembarrassed...Inordernottohurttheirfeelings,IhaveoftenactedapassionIdidnotfeel. Section2Worksandwritingstyle dramaLongnovel NotableWorksHisreputationasanovelistrestsprimarilyonthesebooks: LizaofLambeth(1897)wasW.SomersetMaugham"sfirstnovel,whichhewrotewhileworkingasadoctoratahospitalinLambeth.ItdepictstheshortlifeanddeathofLizaKemp,an18-year-oldfactoryworkerwholivestogetherwithheragingmotherinthefictionalVereStreet.Allinall,itgivesthereaderaninterestinginsightintotheeverydaylivesofworkingclassLondonersattheendofthenineteenthcentury. Inclassicguide,Maughamintroducesanddiscusseswhatheconsiderstobethetengreatestnovelsandtheirauthors.Herearesomeoftheformulaeofgreatnessinthegenre.Maugham"schoicelist:Fielding"s"TomJones";《汤姆·琼斯》（亨利·菲尔丁）Dickens"s"DavidCopperfield";《大卫·科波菲尔》（查尔斯·狄更斯）Flaubert"s"MadameBovary";《包法利夫人》（福楼拜）Balzac"s"OldManGoriot";《高老头》(巴尔扎克）EmilyBronte"s"WutheringHeights",《呼啸山庄》（艾蜜莉·勃朗特）Dostoevsky"s"TheBrothersKaramazov";《卡拉马佐夫兄弟》（陀思妥耶夫斯基)Stendhal"s"TheRedandtheBlack";《红与黑》（斯汤达尔）Austen"s"PrideandPrejudice";《傲慢与偏见》（珍·奥斯汀）Melville"s"MobyDick";《白鲸记》（赫尔曼·梅尔维尔)Tolstoy"s"WarandPeace".《战争与和平》（托尔斯泰） HisWritingStyleMaughamwasinfluencedbythepublishedjournalsoftheFrenchwriterJulesRenard,IbsenandhiscomedieswasinfluencedbyOscarWildealot.Maughamhadenjoyedfortheirconscientiousness,wisdomandwit.Healwaysholdcalm,aloofevenparticularattitudeswithsomesatireandmercytoobservelifeinalmostallhisworks. HisWritingStyleHisworksaremianlyaboutfamily,loveandthetwistsinmarriage.Hedescribedthesituationsandcustomsintheupperclassandexpressedthedoubtsaboutthesocietymorality.Hisworksaremoresatiricthanhumourous. section3Influence In1947MaughaminstitutedtheSomersetMaughamAward,awardedtothebestBritishwriterorwritersundertheageofthirty-fiveforaworkoffictionpublishedinthepastyear.NotablewinnersincludeV.S.Naipaul,KingsleyAmis,MartinAmisandThomGunn.Onhisdeath,MaughamdonatedhisroyaltiestotheRoyalLiteraryFund. Otherwritersacknowledgedhiswork.AnthonyBurgess,whoincludedacomplexfictionalportraitofMaughaminthenovelEarthlyPowers,praisedhisinfluence.IanFlemingnotedthathewrotetheshortstoryQuantumofSolaceasanhomagetoMaugham"swritingstyle.GeorgeOrwellsaidthatMaughamwas"themodernwriterwhohasinfluencedmethemost,whomIadmireimmenselyforhispoweroftellingastorystraightforwardlyandwithoutfrills."