編輯推薦
毛姆享譽較高的一部著作。小說以第一人稱的視角敘述瞭主人公菲利普前半生的迷惘、探索、失望、挫摺、和痛苦。作品的主題是命運羈絆之下的人性的自由。
內容簡介
Of Human Bondage (1915) is a novel by William Somerset Maugham. While generally agreed to be his masterpiece and strongly autobiographical in nature, Maugham himself did not quite subscribe to this, stating in a signed inscription of a copy of the book (dated August 28, 1957) that belonged to the renowned collector Ingle Barr: This is a novel, not an autobiography, though much in it is autobiographical, more is pure invention.
Nevertheless the book deals with the life of its main character Philip Carey, who, like Maugham, was orphaned and brought up by his pious uncle. Maugham's severe stutter has been replaced by Philip's clubfoot. The novel takes the form of a bildungsroman, tracing the protagonist's travels to Germany, Paris, and London, while exploring his intellectual and emotional development and later, in the London period, his destructive relationship with the main female character, Mildred, a self-centered, crude Cockney waitress.
The first and most autobiographical of Maugham's masterpieces. It is the story of Philip Carey, an orphan eager for life, love and adventure. After a few months studying in Heidelberg, and a brief spell in Paris as a would-be artist, he settles in London to train as a doctor where he meets Mildred, the loud but irresistible waitress with whom he plunges into a tortured and masochistic affair.
菲利普天生跛足,自幼失去雙親,自卑的心理深深植根在他的生活中。他在伯父凱裏牧師和伯母路易莎的撫養下長大,伯父對其較為冷淡,但伯母悉心照料,給予他母親般的溫暖。菲利普自幼酷愛文學,在伯父的書房裏找到寄托。伯父伯母希望菲利普到牛津學習神學,以後成為神父,把他送到一所宗教氣氛濃厚的寄宿學校學習。在那裏,雖然菲利普嶄露瞭學習的天份,但生性靦腆的他並不能融入到學校生活中,也因為跛足受盡嘲笑。
隨後,菲利普不顧伯父的反對,遠赴德國海德堡求學,在那裏結識瞭英國人海沃德和美國人威剋斯,開始對神學産生質疑。在一個假期迴到英國傢中時,菲利普同威爾金森小姐互生情愫但並不真心相戀,在迴到德國後便逐漸停止通信。
之後,菲利普到倫敦成為一名會計學徒,但他對枯燥的生活感到厭倦,很快就轉而到巴黎學習藝術,在巴黎學瞭兩年繪畫。在巴黎,菲利普結交瞭一些朋友,其中有毫無天分、脾氣怪異的普萊斯小姐。普萊斯小姐暗中喜歡菲利普,後來因為窮睏無助和絕望而自殺。
菲利普最終意識到自己在藝術上資質平平,不會有所建樹,而伯母的死訊傳來,菲利普迴到英國,並決定去倫敦學醫。在倫敦,菲利普愛上瞭女招待米爾德,但米爾德並不喜歡菲利普,而且天性自私,拒絕瞭菲利普的追求,同他人發生關係並懷孕。在追求失敗後,菲利普轉嚮女作傢諾拉的懷抱。之後米爾德被人拋棄,又找到瞭菲利普,菲利普同諾拉分手,努力接濟米爾德生活。但米爾德隨後戀上瞭菲利普的朋友哈利並再次離開。
當菲利普再次遇到米爾德時,發現她再次被拋棄,成為妓女。此時的菲利普已不再愛她,但因為憐憫而收留瞭她。米爾德試圖引誘菲利普未果,一怒之下逃走。後來菲利普知曉她孩子病死,再次淪落風塵。
菲利普後來因投資南非礦山失敗而破産,不得不在商店裏打工。但最終因得到伯父死後留下的遺産而再次迴到醫學院,取得醫生資質。後來菲利普同多次幫助過自己的醫生阿瑟爾尼的女兒薩利相戀,並得知她懷孕的消息。菲利普果斷放棄之前遊曆的計劃,同薩利訂婚。
作者簡介
W. Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874. He trained as a doctor in London where he started writing his first novels. In 1926 he bought a house in Cap Ferrat, France, which was to become a meeting place for a number of writers, artists and politicians. He died in 1965.
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