analysis
STYLISTIC ANALYSIS
William Somerset Maugham
«THE ESCAPE»
William Somerset Maugham is one of the best known English writers of the 20th century. The trend he belongs to is realism with slight ifluence of expressionism. A novelist, a dramatist, and a short-story writer, he gained an outstanding reputation with his prominent books “Of Human Bondage”, “The Moon and Sixpence”, and “The Razor's Edge”. The observer of the first decades of the 20th century, Maugham is deeply critical of the morals and the narrow-mindedness of his contemporaries. In general, Maugham's novels and short stories could be characterized by great narrative facility, an ironic point of view, cosmopolitan settings, and an astonishing understanding of human nature. Realistic portrayal of life, keen character observation, and interesting plots coupled with beautiful, expressive language, a clear, unadored style, have truly made Somerset Maugham a modern classic.
«The Escape» is a short story of the socio-psychological type. Stories of this type are common for W.S. Maugham, who likes to depict and satirise existing social vices through feelings and relationships of his characters. To stress this fact, the exact time and place of action are not indicated in the story, which gives it the impression of a faceless common occurence, possible to happen at any time in any place.
The narrator introduces us to a man and a woman, the friends of his. The man, Roger Charing, is an aging fellow with a good fortune behind him. The woman, Ruth Barlow, is a shrewd, manipulating young widow, determined to get married again to a prospective man. With her seeming pathos and fragility, Ruth manages to win Roger's feelings at first, but as their romance goes on, he falls out of love. The two are already engaged by the time, and by no means would the thrifty bride let her prey escape. W.S. Maugham reveals the elegant plot the man designs to get out of the situation untouched. By making a promise to marry his
William Somerset Maugham
«THE ESCAPE»
William Somerset Maugham is one of the best known English writers of the 20th century. The trend he belongs to is realism with slight ifluence of expressionism. A novelist, a dramatist, and a short-story writer, he gained an outstanding reputation with his prominent books “Of Human Bondage”, “The Moon and Sixpence”, and “The Razor's Edge”. The observer of the first decades of the 20th century, Maugham is deeply critical of the morals and the narrow-mindedness of his contemporaries. In general, Maugham's novels and short stories could be characterized by great narrative facility, an ironic point of view, cosmopolitan settings, and an astonishing understanding of human nature. Realistic portrayal of life, keen character observation, and interesting plots coupled with beautiful, expressive language, a clear, unadored style, have truly made Somerset Maugham a modern classic.
«The Escape» is a short story of the socio-psychological type. Stories of this type are common for W.S. Maugham, who likes to depict and satirise existing social vices through feelings and relationships of his characters. To stress this fact, the exact time and place of action are not indicated in the story, which gives it the impression of a faceless common occurence, possible to happen at any time in any place.
The narrator introduces us to a man and a woman, the friends of his. The man, Roger Charing, is an aging fellow with a good fortune behind him. The woman, Ruth Barlow, is a shrewd, manipulating young widow, determined to get married again to a prospective man. With her seeming pathos and fragility, Ruth manages to win Roger's feelings at first, but as their romance goes on, he falls out of love. The two are already engaged by the time, and by no means would the thrifty bride let her prey escape. W.S. Maugham reveals the elegant plot the man designs to get out of the situation untouched. By making a promise to marry his