The Summing UpAutobiographical and confessional, and yet not, this is one of the most highly regarded expressions of a personal credo - both a classic avowal of an author's ideas and his craft. |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 41
Page 35
... perhaps a native lack of precision in thought , perhaps a naïve delight in fine
words for their own sake , an innate eccentricity and love of embroidery , I do not
know ; but the fact remains that ever since , English prose has had to struggle ...
... perhaps a native lack of precision in thought , perhaps a naïve delight in fine
words for their own sake , an innate eccentricity and love of embroidery , I do not
know ; but the fact remains that ever since , English prose has had to struggle ...
Page 50
Perhaps it was a natural sense of tidiness that engaged me , when still so young ,
to design a pattern for my life ; perhaps it was due to something I discovered in
myself about which I shall have a little to say later . The defect of such an ...
Perhaps it was a natural sense of tidiness that engaged me , when still so young ,
to design a pattern for my life ; perhaps it was due to something I discovered in
myself about which I shall have a little to say later . The defect of such an ...
Page 129
... certain themes that dramatists favoured have now fallen into desuetude . We
are less revengeful than we were and now a play devoted to revenge would be
scarcely plausible . Perhaps because our passions are less strong , perhaps
even ...
... certain themes that dramatists favoured have now fallen into desuetude . We
are less revengeful than we were and now a play devoted to revenge would be
scarcely plausible . Perhaps because our passions are less strong , perhaps
even ...
What people are saying - Write a review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - wjburton - LibraryThingOne of my favourite bedside books of all time. I wore my first copy into pieces from overuse. I don't know of another book quite like it. Read full review
LibraryThing Review
User Review - hellbent - LibraryThingThis is one of the best books I read for providing a philosophical view of life. It is a book I intend to read again. Read full review
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
able accept action actors admire appearance artist asked audience beauty believe better called cause character common complete course critic deal difficult discover drama dramatist easy effect emotion English existence experience eyes fact feeling fiction follow forced gave give given hard human ideas imagination important instinct interest Italy knew knowledge least less literature live longer look matter Maugham means mind nature never novel once passing pattern perfect perhaps persons philosophers picture play pleasure possible present produced prose reader reason seemed seen sense short sometimes sort speak story success suggested suppose taken tell theatre things thought tion told took true truth turn universe wanted whole write written wrote young
Bibliographic information
| Title | The Summing Up Volume 10 of Collected edition of the works of W. Somerset Maugham W. Somerset Maugham Works Works, William Somerset Maugham |
| Author | William Somerset Maugham |
| Edition | reprint |
| Publisher | Arno Press, 1977 |
| Original from | The Ohio State University |
| Digitized | 18 May 2018 |
| ISBN | 0405078307, 9780405078309 |
| Length | 310 pages |
| Subjects | › Fiction / Literary |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |