The Summing Up, Part 354, Volume 1This book represents Maugham's life and philosophy in his own words. It is autobiographical in nature, though most of the work is concerned with Maugham's unique and fascinating opinions on the theatre, writing, metaphysics and the interesting people he encountered in his long and successful career. |
From inside the book
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Page 124
It is a psychological trait in human nature that interest is established in the
persons whom the playwright introduces at the beginning of his play so firmly that
if the interest is then switched off to other persons who enter upon the scene later,
...
It is a psychological trait in human nature that interest is established in the
persons whom the playwright introduces at the beginning of his play so firmly that
if the interest is then switched off to other persons who enter upon the scene later,
...
Page 212
Stendhal, in one of his manuscripts, has written the names of the persons who
had suggested his characters; Dickens, as we ... that he could not create a
character at all unless as a starting point he could fix his imagination on a living
person.
Stendhal, in one of his manuscripts, has written the names of the persons who
had suggested his characters; Dickens, as we ... that he could not create a
character at all unless as a starting point he could fix his imagination on a living
person.
Page 213
We know very little even of the persons we know most intimately; we do not know
them enough to transfer them to the pages of a book and make human beings of
them. People are too elusive, too shadowy, to be copied; and they are also too ...
We know very little even of the persons we know most intimately; we do not know
them enough to transfer them to the pages of a book and make human beings of
them. People are too elusive, too shadowy, to be copied; and they are also too ...
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able accept action actors admire appearance artist asked attention audience beauty believe better called cause character claim common concerned course critic deal difficult discover drama dramatist easy effect emotion English exciting existence experience eyes fact feeling forced French gave give given hard human ideas imagination important instinct interest knew knowledge known least less literature live longer look matter meaning mind nature never novel offer once one's passing perfect perhaps persons philosophers picture play pleasure possible present produced prose reader reason seemed seen sense sometimes sort speak spirit story success suppose taken tell theatre things thought tion told took truth turn universe wanted whole write written wrote young youth
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Summing Up, Part 354, Volume 1 Armed Services ed Armed Services editions Volume 10 of Collected edition of the works of W. Somerset Maugham Volume 5339 of Collection of British authors International Collector's Library Mentor book Volume 5339 of Tauchnitz edition of British and American authors Works, William Somerset Maugham |
| Authors | William Somerset Maugham, Maria Dermoût |
| Publisher | Doubleday, Doran & Company, Incorporated, 1938 |
| Original from | the University of California |
| Digitized | 26 Sep 2007 |
| Length | 310 pages |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |