Companion to the Characters in the Fiction and Drama of W. Somerset Maugham

The characters in the fiction and drama of W. Somerset Maugham accurately reflect English society from the end of the Victorian age through the early years of World War II. Maugham based his characters on real people whom he observed and analyzed, and his characters transcend the themes and settings of his fictional worlds. This volume lists and descibes each and every character mentioned in Maugham's fiction and drama, including living, dead, human, animal, imaginary, historical, named, and unnamed inhabitants of his works. Through his voluminous writings, W. Somerset Maugham recreated the age in which he lived. The characters in his fiction and drama accurately reflect English society from the end of the Victorian era through the early years of World War II. There exists little doubt that the strength of Maugham's works stems from his rich characterizations. When he peopled his imaginary worlds, he based his characters on real persons whom he observed and analyzed, both from a respectable distance and a not always respectable intimacy; then he recast them upon the page and the stage. This reference sets down in alphabetical order each character included in Maugham's stories, novels, and plays. Included are imaginary, historical, human, animal, named, unnamed, living, and dead characters from all of his works. Each entry indicates the work in which the character appears and provides a description of the character in relation to the work as a whole. As far as possible, the descriptions capture the substance and tone of Maugham's own words. An introductory essay discusses the importance of Maugham's characters to his literary art, while a bibliography lists editions consulted and secondary sources of additional information.

SAMUEL J. ROGAL has chaired the Division of Humanities and Fine Arts at Illinois Valley Community College since July 1984. Prior to that, he held positions on the English faculties at Illinois State University, Mary Holmes College, SUNY at Oswego, Iowa State University, and Waynesburg College. His many publications include A Chronological Outline of British History (1980), The Children's Jubilee: A Bibliographical Survey of Hymnals for Infants, Youths, and Sunday Schools Published in Britain and America, 1655-1900 (1983), A Guide to the Hymns and Tunes of American Methodism, 1878-1964 (1986), A Chronological Outline of American Literature (1987), Medicine in Great Britain from the Restoration to the Nineteenth Century, 1660-1800 (1992), and Agriculture in Britain and America, 1660-1820: An Annotated Bibliography of the Eighteenth-Century Literature (1994), all published by Greenwood Press.