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Still sorting out my reactions to Of Human Bondage. Some initial reactions:
The modernity of this book is surprising for a 1915 publication date. I doubt that public sensibilities had become much dulled at that point by the slaughter of the Great War, yet the novel is relatively candid in discussing interracial love, sexuality, seduction, prostitution and STDs.
Another interesting aspect of the book for me was the very sympathetic portrayal of women, generally more sinned against than sinning. Many of them are manipulated by Philip, the ostensible hero of the novel, for the gratification of his desires, and cast aside by him when he gets what he wants: Aunt Louisa, Emily Wilkinson, and Norah Nesbit. Others are strong and supportive like Betty and Sally Athelny, or independent women like Ruth Chalice and Mrs. Otter, and, in her own way, Fanny Price. The closest approach to a villainous character is Mildred Rogers, and she is a mere passive sponge, whose downfall is partially due to her own passions for and trust in Emil Miller and Griffiths. Her only active act of malice is the trashing of Philip’s rooms when she leaves; Philip’s financial ruin was due mainly to his attempts to buy her love.
This novel is often described as semi-autobiographical. There are some parallels to Maugham’s life: being orphaned and raised by an emotionally cold uncle, and his medical training. However, there are huge variances, like Phillip’s years spent trying to become an artist in Paris, and Maugham’s sexuality, although that might be suggested by his schoolboy attachment to Rose, although there was nothing sexual in that. The greatest variance is the character of Mildred, who does not seem to have a parallel in Maugham’s life. One suspects that he got much of his material from his milieu. For example, much of the depiction of Cronshaw could describe Ernest Dowson’s life, and Dowson’s obsession with Adelaide Foltinowicz, the juvenile daughter of a Polish restaurant owner, may have suggested Philip’s obsession with Mildred.
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