Orientations (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Early Short Fiction of Desire, Disillusion, Social Satire, and Moral Ambiguity at the Fin de SiècleBy William Somerset Maugham
Length6h 48m
About this audiobook
Orientations, William Somerset Maugham's first collection of short fiction, reveals a young writer testing the range of his art at the fin de siècle. Its stories move through cosmopolitan settings and theatrical situations, often concerned with desire, disillusion, social performance, and the moral ambiguities of refined life. Written in an elegant, controlled prose already marked by Maugham's gift for irony and observation, the volume belongs to the late-Victorian and Decadent literary moment, yet it also anticipates the cooler realism and narrative economy of his mature work. Maugham, trained as a physician before turning decisively to literature, brought to fiction an unusually clinical eye for motive, weakness, and self-deception. His early years in London, his exposure to European culture, and his sensitivity to the constraints of class and convention all inform these stories. Orientations shows him absorbing contemporary influences while beginning to shape the worldly, unsentimental voice that would later distinguish Of Human Bondage, his plays, and his celebrated travel-inflected fiction. This collection is recommended for readers interested in Maugham's artistic beginnings and in the transition from Victorian manners to modern psychological fiction. It offers not merely apprentice work, but a revealing map of themes he would refine throughout his career.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.8 (76)
Includes Goodreads
GenreGeneral Fiction
Length6 hrs 48 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJun 10, 2022
LanguageEnglish
The Trembling of a Leaf Collection – Rain & Other South Sea StoriesWilliam Somerset Maugham8h 27m4.2 (3K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Magician (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham9h 38m4.3 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
The Explorer (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham10h 28m$2 · $0.00
Theatre (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham10h 48m$2 · $0.00
The Moon and Sixpence: One Man's Journey Across the Field of Art and into Its Depths (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham9h 54m$2 · $0.00
The Greatest Short Stories of W. Somerset Maugham (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham30h 49m$2 · $0.00
Collected Plays of W. Somerset Maugham (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham22h 14m4.6 (12)$2 · $0.00
Rain and Other South Sea Stories (The Trembling of a Leaf Collection) (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham9h 31m4.4 (11)$2 · $0.00
Of Human Bondage (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham30h$2 · $0.00
Of Human Bondage (Autobiographical Novel) (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham29h 59m4.3 (79.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Razor's Edge (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham14h 50m$2 · $0.00
The Painted Veil (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham9h 32m4.2 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
The Merry-Go-Round (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham2h 59m4.1 (12)$2 · $0.00
The Essential Somerset Maugham: 33 Books in One Edition (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham147h 22m$2 · $0.00
The Land of the Blessed Virgin: Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia & On a Chinese Screen (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham12h$2 · $0.00
Mrs Craddock (Classic Unabridged Edition) (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham12h 34m3.9 (2K)$2 · $0.00
The Hero (The Classic Unabridged Edition) (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham9h 40m3.9 (444)$2 · $0.00
Liza of Lambeth (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham5h 48m$2 · $0.00
The Moon and Sixpence: One Man's Journey Across the Field of Art and into Its Depths (Based on Paul Gauguin's Life) (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham9h 47m4.1 (33K)$2 · $0.00
The Collected Works: Novels, Short Stories, Plays and Travel Sketches (Annotated)William Somerset Maugham147h 18m4.4 (183)$2 · $0.00
Ethic IIAshley Antoinette9h 1m4.7 (8K)$20
RiversnowTess Thompson8h 11m4.7 (1.3K)$20
Supreme ClienteleAshley & JaQuavis8h 58m4.7 (3.4K)$20
Body Refinement in a Beast Tamer’s World, Book 1Seth Ring14h 7m4.7 (1.3K)$27
Desperate MeasuresBrenda Jackson8h 59m4.7 (669)$28 · $0.00
Searching For ThanksgivingS.E. Smith4h 24m4.8 (395)$20
Naughty 4Brenda Hampton7h 30m4.7 (726)$17
The Dance with Me TrilogyShelley Shepard Gray21h 44m4.7 (1.2K)$35
The DopemanJaQuavis Coleman5h 25m4.7 (3.8K)$20
BAEJahquel J.5h 22m4.7 (3.1K)$20
Dark RisingJeffrey Wilson, Brian Andrews13h 47m4.7 (1.3K)$27
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.6 (4.6K)$29 · $0.00
Grand Opening 2Carl Weber9h 16m4.7 (2.4K)$20
Sons of Valor II: Violence of ActionBrian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson12h 34m4.6 (3.6K)$23
Malevolent MagicMildred Abbott7h 13m4.7 (1.2K)$17
Bikes, Toys, and Hot BoyzGenesis Woods, Shantaé13h 9m4.7 (722)$23
This Side of Paradise - The Original 1920 Edition (Annotated)F. Scott Fitzgerald11h 30m4.6 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
War LordBernard Cornwell13h 21m4.6 (33.1K)$33 · $0.00
Ghetto BastardK’wan7h 37m4.6 (2.9K)$20
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m4.6 (9.3K)$18 · $0.00
You may also like
The CounterlifePhilip Roth12h 14m3.9 (6.2K)$20
The Dry Grass of AugustAnna Jean Mayhew9h 31m4.0 (27.5K)$20
Adivasi Will Not Dance, TheHansda Sowvendra Shekhar5h 20m4.1 (3.3K)$8
Never Play DeadTomi Lahren5h 1m4.1 (1.3K)$24 · $0.00
The Kreutzer Sonata and Other StoriesLeo graf Tolstoy7h 51m4.1 (4.8K)$2 · $0.00
Martha PeakePatrick McGrath12h 38m3.6 (1.2K)$30 · $0.00
Felix Holt, the RadicalGeorge Eliot19h 48m3.8 (5.2K)$2.30 · $0.00
Doctor CopernicusJohn Banville10h 45m3.7 (1.6K)$29 · $0.00
CoventryRachel Cusk7h 30m3.8 (4.5K)$17
The Greatest Works of Henrik IbsenHenrik Ibsen23h 51m4.4 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
Divided SoulDavid Ritz6h 38m4.2 (3K)$14
The BridegroomHa Jin6h 54m3.9 (2.7K)$17 · $0.00
90s BitchAllison Yarrow11h 34m4.1 (2.6K)$29 · $0.00
The ProfessorCharlotte Bronte10h3.7 (36.1K)$2.30 · $0.00
IntellectualsPaul Johnson18h 18m3.9 (9.1K)$28
Not Under the LawGrace Livingston Hill10h 2m4.6 (507)$2 · $0.00
BlissO. Z. Livaneli10h 19m4.0 (7K)$20 · $0.00
Those Who Leave and Those Who StayElena Ferrante16h 42m4.4 (193.7K)$23
Russian Classics Ultimate Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Plays, Folk Tales & LegendsMikhail Lermontov, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Leo Tolstoy, Nikolai Gogol, Alexander Pushkin, Anton Chekhov, Ivan Turgenev, Maxim Gorky, M.Y. Saltykov, V.G. Korolenko, V.N. Garshin, F.K. Sologub, I.N. Potapenko, S.T. Semyonov, Leonid Andreyev, M.P. Artzybashev, A.I. Kuprin, Nikolai Evreinov, Denis Fonvizin, Ivan Goncharov, Saki, H. H. Munro380h 8m4.5 (21)$2 · $0.00
A Crooked MileOliver Onions8h 2m$2 · $0.00