Collected Plays of W. Somerset Maugham (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Man of Honour, Lady Frederick, The Explorer, The Circle, Caesar's Wife, East of SuezBy William Somerset Maugham
Length22h 13m
About this audiobook
Collected Plays of W. Somerset Maugham gathers the dramatic work of a writer whose stagecraft helped define the modern drawing-room drama. These plays move through comedy, social satire, melodrama, and moral inquiry, exposing the hypocrisies of marriage, class, reputation, and desire with lucid dialogue and elegant construction. Maugham's theatrical style is economical yet incisive: he favours polished surfaces under which emotional and ethical tensions steadily accumulate, placing him in conversation with Wilde, Pinero, and the early twentieth-century commercial theatre. William Somerset Maugham was uniquely equipped to write such drama. Trained in medicine, widely travelled, and sharply observant of human behaviour, he brought to the stage a clinician's eye for motive and self-deception. Before becoming renowned for fiction such as Of Human Bondage and The Razor's Edge, Maugham achieved considerable success as a playwright, and his cosmopolitan life furnished him with the social types, moral dilemmas, and ironic detachment that animate these works. This collection is recommended to readers interested in theatrical history, modern British literature, and the art of refined dramatic irony. It offers not merely period entertainment but a penetrating record of manners and morals, rewarding both general readers and scholars attentive to performance, dialogue, and social critique.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- The Author Biography highlights personal milestones and literary influences that shape the entire body of writing.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
GenreLiterary Classics
Length22 hrs 13 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateApr 10, 2015
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Enriched Edition. A Man of Honour, Lady Frederick, The Explorer, The Circle, Caesar's Wife, East of Suez
21THE FOURTH ACT
2Introduction
22The Circle
3Author Biography
23THE FIRST ACT
4Historical Context
24THE SECOND ACT
5Synopsis (Selection)
25THE THIRD ACT
Show all chaptersShow less
6Collected Plays of W. Somerset Maugham: A Man of Honour, Lady Frederick, The Explorer, The Circle, Caesar's Wife, East of Suez
26Lady Frederick
7A Man of Honour
27ACT I
8GENERAL PREFACE
28ACT II
9THE FIRST ACT
29ACT III
10THE SECOND ACT
30East of Suez
11THE THIRD ACT
31SCENE I
12THE FOURTH ACT
32SCENE II
13Lady Frederick
33SCENE III
14THE FIRST ACT
34SCENE IV
15THE SECOND ACT
35SCENE V
16THIRD ACT
36SCENE VI
17A Man of Honour
37SCENE VII
18THE FIRST ACT
38Analysis
19THE SECOND ACT
39Reflection
20THE THIRD ACT
40Memorable Quotes
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