The razor s edge william somerset maugham was born in 1874 and lived in paris until he was ten. Maugham s last major novel, the razor s edge 1944, was a departure for him in many ways. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 314 pages and is available in paperback format. The first edition of the novel was published in 1937, and was written by w. Oct 11, 2016 what i like most about the razors edge, and all of maughams books even today is how simple the telling of the story is and how it is riveting inspite of it. Unfollow the razors edge maugham to stop getting updates on your ebay feed. Somerset maugham is about a character named larry darrel. Its epigraph reads, the sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over. The razors edge gives us the quintessential 80s sensibility, bill murray, indulging a nostalgia for the 60s masquerading as the 20s. Jun 12, 2014 i was starting college, and i was facing the sort of existential crisis that comes with that large shift in identity. Leaving wealth and loved ones behind, larry darrell journeys to the mountains of india in search of spiritual wisdom. The razors edge william somerset maugham the razor s edge is a novel by w. Instead of marrying a rich, pretty chicago girl, he goes to paris searching for answers to questions about man, god and the meaning of life. Larry darrell is the type of character that get a reader in a lot of trouble if that reader comes into contact with somerset maughams novel the razors edge at the wrong time.
I like his perspective as he writes this in the first person as himself which is a very unique. The razors edge, while it purports to be a philosophical novel that deals with significant ideas, is largely a novel of character. Buy cheap the razors edge by w somerset maugham essay. The razors edge is regarded as the masterpiece of novels by somerset. Collecting the razors edge by maugham, w somerset first. The main characters of this fiction, classics story are elliott templeton, larry darrell. The reason why the book works is because of the writing. The razor s edge is an unusual amalgam threequarters witty social commentary about american and european society, onequarter eastern philosophy bound together by maugham s impeccable prose almost as though henry james and hermann hesse had collaborated.
There is a free, full and complete online pdf version of the razors edge book available at the link below as well as, for those who would rather not read the book but rather watch the movie or do both, a full version of the black and white 1946 movie by clicking the graphic below the link. Digital rights management drm the publisher has supplied this book in encrypted form, which means that you need to install free software in order to unlock and read it. Rejecting the comfortable material world of his fiancee, he travels around the world in search of truth and meaning to. Larry darrell is a young american in search of the absolute. Project gutenberg offers 61,582 free ebooks to download. The novel is concerned in large part with the search for the meaning of life and with the dichotomy between materialism and spirituality. The novel chronicles the physical and the spiritual sojourn of the main. The razors edge william somerset maugham the razors edge is a novel by w. The sharp edge of a razor is difficult to pass over. He was educated at king s school, canterbury, and at heidelberg university. It was released in 1946, and stars tyrone power, gene tierney, john payne, anne baxter, clifton webb, and herbert marshall, with a supporting cast including lucile watson, frank latimore, and elsa lanchester. The razor s edge study guide contains a biography of w.
For those unfamiliar with the story, the razors edge is about a flyer played by tyrone power in the film who returns from world war 1 full of survivors guilt and seeking answers to lifes most profound mysteries. Download the razors edge pdf book by william somerset maugham i have never begun a novel with more misgiving. If you scroll up a bit and click the third button under other maugham eresources that says nonfiction with my logo on it, you will go to the ebook page of. This months classic book club selection is razors edge, by w. If i was told to read the razors edge specifically and watch the film over a decade ago then that would have saved a lot of time. October 11, 2016 january 2, 2019 books weve read admin leave a comment. The razor s edge gives us the quintessential 80s sensibility, bill murray, indulging a nostalgia for the 60s masquerading as the 20s. The razors edge follows the spiritual and physical journey of larry darrell, a sensitive, intelligent young man who refuses to conform to the prevailing social norms of postworld war i america.
If you scroll up a bit and click the third button under other maugham eresources that says nonfiction with my logo on it, you will go to the ebook page of nonfiction, including travel books and essays. The most ambitious of maughams novels, this is also one in which maugham himself plays a considerable part as he wanders in and out of the story, to observe his characters struggling with their fates. Somerset maugham and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the razors edge by w.
He was educated at kings school, canterbury, and at heidelberg university. The progress of this spiritual odyssey involves him with some of maugham s most brillant characters his fiancee isabel, whose choice between love and wealth have lifelong repercussions, and elliot templeton, her uncle, a classic expatriate american snob. Somerset maugham for iphone, ipad txt format version, file with page numbers the razors edge by w. The razors edge ebook epub electronic book the razors edge by w. If you are familiar with somerset maugham then youll recognize razors edge as one of his best books. Maughams hero is one of those romantic figures of literature that we all want to think really exists out there in the real world, but probably doesnt and, if. Pdf the razors edge by william somerset maugham download. Somerset maugham, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Somerset maugham, first published by doubleday doran in the united states in 1944, relates the experiences of a world war i pilot, larry darrell, who chooses to embrace a countercultural lifestyle as a way of dealing with his ptsd, though the syndrome is of course not identified as such in the book.
And then he had an idea in the middle when mulla was snoring, he changed the doll. While much of the novel takes place in europe, its main characters are american, not british. The progress of this spiritual odyssey involves him with some of maughams most brillant characters his fiancee isabel, whose choice between love and wealth have lifelong repercussions, and elliot templeton, her uncle, a classic expatriate american snob. The book was published in multiple languages including english, consists of 304 pages and is available in paperback format.
No 44 of human bondage by w somerset maugham 1915 somerset maughams semiautobiographical novel shows the authors savage honesty and gift for storytelling at their. Info download free ebooks in all formats, pdf, epub, mobi. Somerset maugham kindle edition with audio multimedia cd video hardcover new or used, cheap audiobook pric theres also other available format to download. It tells the story of larry darrell, an american pilot traumatized by. Set in chicago, paris, and india in the 1920s and 30s, it. Somerset maugham penguin books, harmondsworth, 1963 cover design by hermann zapf. Larry darrell is an incredibly finely drawn character. But, perhaps, it was in the novel the razors edge that maugham was the best able to reflect all the problems of spiritual growth of an individual in a society that requires a person functions of a banal battery.
Somerset maugham has always been one of my most favorite authors. Set in chicago, paris, and india in the 1920s and 30s, it involves characters. I first read this book when i was a child of thirteen. Razors edge by maugham, first edition abebooks passion for books. This was also the case in the novel the burden of the passions of man, and in the novel the moon and the pitt. Larry, a sympathetic and bright young man, is on a. The protagonist is a disillusioned veteran of the first world war who abandons his wealthy friends and lifestyle, traveling to india seeking enlightenment. This book challenges the cultural ideals of the 1940s. Free download or read online theatre pdf epub book. Celia copplestone is a uniquely spiritual person surrounded by a group of people who have no notion.
In this paper, i evaluate the themes, the style of writing, the lessons learned from the characters in the maugham novel the razors edge. Like the fact that a great many people believe something is no guarantee of its truth. Somerset maugham, english novelist, playwright, and shortstory writer whose work is characterized by a clear unadorned style, cosmopolitan settings, and a shrewd understanding of human nature. Publication date 1944 topics iiit collection digitallibraryindia. Thomas hospital with the idea of practising medicine, but the success of his first novel, liza of lambeth, published in 1897, won him over to letters. Maughams gift for depicting characters and playing them out. If i was told to read the razor s edge specifically and watch the film over a decade ago then that would have saved a lot of time. I was starting college, and i was facing the sort of existential crisis that comes with that large shift in identity. The razors edge study guide contains a biography of w.
Mar 21, 20 a group of students interpret their favorite scenes of the razors edge and add their own personal touch. Growing up in india at a time when the british influence was still very strong, most of the books written in english were by british authors and they seemed. The razors edge william somerset maugham was born in 1874 and lived in paris until he was ten. The progress of this spiritual odyssey involves him with some of maughams most brillant characters. The razors edge by william somerset maugham download eub. Instead of marrying a rich, pretty chicago girl, he goes to paris searching for answers to questions. Maugham writes very simply about rather complicated things, with a fair amount of ironic humor. It is your sole responsibility to make sure that material on this site belongs to the public domain in your country before readingusing them. The progress of this spiritual odyssey involves him with some of maugham s most brillant characters his fiancee isabel, whose choice between love and wealth have lifelong repercussions, and elliot templeton, her.
Somerset maughams the razors edge dvd video 2005 the razors edge penguin. Somerset maughams the razors edge quotes 15 quotes almost all the people whove had the most effect on me i seem to have met by chance, yet looking back it seems as though i couldnt but have met them. Somerset maugham william somerset maugham and other ebooks from all genres of literature, both fiction and nonfiction, historical documents and sheet music, all of which are available on a subscription basis. It tells the story of larry darrell, an american pilot traumatized by his experiences in world war i, who sets off in search of some transcendent meaning in his life. Maughams last major novel, the razors edge 1944, was a departure for him in many ways. The progress of this spiritual odyssey involves him with some of maughams most brillant characters his fiancee isabel, whose choice between love and wealth have lifelong repercussions. There are no literary gimmicks here, no examples of stylistic writing that critics could pick out and hold it up before us to justify what a great writer maugham was. The razor s edge follows the spiritual and physical journey of larry darrell, a sensitive, intelligent young man who refuses to conform to the prevailing social norms of postworld war i america. There is a free, full and complete online pdf version of the razors edge book.
Free download or read online the razors edge pdf epub book. The razor s edge vintage international series by w. The razor s edge is somerset maugham s masterpiece, although some would give that honor to of human bondage. Abebooks the razors edge by w somerset maugham the razors edge w. There is a free, full and complete online pdf version of the razor s edge book available at the link below as well as, for those who would rather not read the book but rather watch the movie or do both, a full version of the black and white 1946 movie by clicking the graphic below the link. Download the razors edge ebook pdf free therazorsedgesg.
Theodore dreiser maughams excessively rare gift of storytelling. Somerset maugham was one the twentieth centurys most popular novelists as well as a celebrated playwright critic and short story writer. The most ambitious of maughams novels, this is also one in which. Read therazorsedge online, read in mobile or kindle. Publication date 1912 topics north collection digitallibraryindia. The razors edge by w somerset maugham essay example. The main characters of this classics, fiction story are julia lambert, michael gosselyn. All of the characters are well drawn, and you get the feeling that maugham is leaving stuff out rather than putting stuff in. The first edition of the novel was published in 1944, and was written by w.
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