Standard study guide to Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham.

I love Of Human Bondage. I think it one of the most magnificent works of fiction I have ever read. I am glad to know that so many share my opinion, and happily contemplate the idea that it might be read with appreciation and understanding a century from now. Why, then, would I have any recommendation to offer for a Cliffs Notes analysis and summary of this book, one that a lazy student might adopt in order to escape reading Maugham’s masterpiece for himself? Why in particular for this great novel, given Maugham’s clarity, lucidity, and directness (in sharp contrast to the turgid prose, tortuous phraseology, and self- indulgent pyrotechnics of some of his contemporaries and successors?)

I do have a significant reason, although I realize it will be unconvincing to any LT member who sees books of the Cliffs Notes series as entirely unnecessary, if not dangerous. The fact is that Of Human Bondage was published in 1915 and was prefigured in a manuscript that dates to 1897. Thus, it reflects a sociopolitical and cultural milieu that has not existed for more than a century, one that will likely be alien to most readers. Historians like to say that “the past is another country” to emphasize the enormous difficulties in trying to understand the past from a modern perspective. Victorian (and Edwardian) England is doubly so for readers worldwide who have never been to that country. I dare say that most readers are unfamiliar with the structure of the church in England of the 19th century (something important to an understanding of Maugham’s novel), the educational system, the nature of medical training (so different from that in the US), and the highly stratified class system, which permeates the novel in unanticipated ways. Likewise, there’s the coinage, the forms of transportation, the food, the ubiquitous slang, language unique to late 19th century England, and words whose meanings have entirely changed, not to mention many phrases rendered in French and German that (unfortunately) only the most assiduous reader will dutifully translate.

It is in this regard that Frank Huggins’ analysis is, in my opinion, of some worth. For each set of chapters, he offers concise definitions of obscure words, local slang, archaic institutions, and foreign phrases. I am quite amazed, in viewing the various lists, at how many words I had misunderstood or passed by, and at how many cultural and social details I had failed to recognize, despite my love of Maugham’s novel as a whole. Even the geographical references carried meaning, I find, in the context of the class system of the times. In addition to the above explanations, this work provides a brief summary for each set of chapters (the key word being “brief,” since in no way could a student use it as a substitute for the book), along with a commentary that recapitulates themes and elements of style, while explaining the historical and sociopolitical context of events, large and small.

My chief complaint about Huggins’ work is that it neglects to offer general information about the book and the author itself. We are told that Of Human Bondage has autobiographical elements, but very little about what they are. Almost nothing is said about Somerset Maugham as a person or a writer, nor is this book put in the context of his literary output or career, nor are we told why this book has been viewed as a classic. Such information is conspicuously absent from a work that purports to analyze a work of literature. What’s more, I find the commentary to be only mildly helpful – it summarizes information that an astute reader ought to have noticed, although granted, it may well be useful to many others.

It could be that I am wrong in suggesting that a Cliffs Notes work can validly enhance the reading of Maugham’s great novel (although I think existence of the book indicates otherwise). One might argue that we are sufficiently close to Maugham’s time that all of his (eminently clear) language can be sufficiently understood in context, and that any details lost in translation are unimportant. After all, the great power of Maugham’s novel has to do with themes and elements of human psychology that transcend any culture or time period, and perhaps the myriad details simply do not matter. There is much to be said for this argument. A similar one can be advanced for many other great works of literature.

However, in response, consider how much more one could get out of a Shakespearean drama by recognizing the puns, the risqué humor, and the cultural references, and by understanding the intended usage of words whose meanings have entirely changed over the centuries. Likewise, while one might read Dante’s Inferno as a story or poem, far more is to be gained by recognizing the references to historical figures and political issues of Renaissance Florence. We have reached the point where Milton cannot be understood by the general reader without serious assistance and where Chaucer can only be read in translation. We are very far indeed from that point with English language literature of the 1800s and early 1900s. That is why so many millions of readers continue to read Jane Austen, Bram Stoker, Thomas Hardy, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. But that’s not to say that we cannot benefit from a little assistance.

As one who loves Of Human Bondage, I found that Cliffs Notes assistance was useful in helping me appreciate this work more than I already had. Others may see things differently. The point is to read Of Human Bondage; it's a truly great work. ( )