The Land of the Blessed Virgin: Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia & On a Chinese Screen (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Andalusia to the Yangtze: Early 20th-Century East-West EncountersBy William Somerset Maugham
Length11h 59m
About this audiobook
The Land of the Blessed Virgin and On a Chinese Screen bring together Maugham's travel sketches of Andalusia and China, transforming observation into polished literary miniature. In Spain he evokes landscape, ritual, poverty, Catholic pageantry, and local temperament with Edwardian elegance; in China he offers brief, theatrical portraits of officials, missionaries, merchants, and expatriates. The prose is lucid, ironic, and impressionistic, situated between nineteenth-century travel writing and the modernist art of the fragment. William Somerset Maugham, trained as a physician before becoming one of the twentieth century's most widely read writers, possessed an unusually clinical eye for character and motive. His lifelong mobility, linguistic ease, and sense of being an outsider shaped these books. Visits to Spain in his youth and to China after the First World War supplied not merely scenery, but occasions for studying empire, faith, performance, and self-deception. This volume is recommended to readers interested in travel literature as literary art rather than simple reportage. Though marked by the assumptions of its age, it rewards critical reading through its elegance, wit, and psychological precision. It is especially valuable for those seeking Maugham beyond the famous novels and stories.
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
GenreTravel
Length11 hrs 59 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateApr 10, 2015
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Land of the Blessed Virgin: Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia & On a Chinese Screen (Annotated)
56IX THE INN
2Introduction
57X THE GLORY HOLE
3Author Biography
58XI FEAR
4Historical Context
59XII THE PICTURE
5Synopsis (Selection)
60XIII HER BRITANNIC MAJESTY'S REPRESENTATIVE
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6The Land of the Blessed Virgin: Sketches and Impressions in Andalusia & On a Chinese Screen
61XIV THE OPIUM DEN
7I
62XV THE LAST CHANCE
8II
63XVI THE NUN
9III
64XVII HENDERSON
10IV
65XVIII DAWN
11V
66XIX THE POINT OF HONOUR
12VI
67XX THE BEAST OF BURDEN
13VII
68XXI DR. MACALISTER
14VIII
69XXII THE ROAD
15IX
70XXIII GOD'S TRUTH
16X
71XXIV ROMANCE
17XI
72XXV THE GRAND STYLE
18XII
73XXVI RAIN
19XIII
74XXVII SULLIVAN
20XIV
75XXVIII THE DINING-ROOM
21XV
76XXIX ARABESQUE
22XVI
77XXX THE CONSUL
23XVII
78XXXI THE STRIPLING
24XVIII
79XXXII THE FANNINGS
25XIX
80XXXIII THE SONG OF THE RIVER
26XX
81XXXIV MIRAGE
27XXI
82XXXV THE STRANGER
28XXII
83XXXVI DEMOCRACY
29XXIII
84XXXVII THE SEVENTH DAY ADVENTIST
30XXIV
85XXXVIII THE PHILOSOPHER
31XXV
86XXXVIII ON A CHINESE SCREEN
32XXVI
87XXXIX THE MISSIONARY LADY
33XXVII
88XL A GAME OF BILLIARDS
34XXVIII
89XLI THE SKIPPER
35XXIX
90XLII THE SIGHTS OF THE TOWN
36XXX
91XLIII NIGHTFALL
37XXXI
92XLIV THE NORMAL MAN
38XXXII
93XLV THE OLD TIMER
39XXXIII
94XLVI THE PLAIN
40XXXIV
95XL VII FAILURE
41XXXV
96XLVIII A STUDENT OF THE DRAMA
42XXXVI
97XLIX THE TAIPAN
43XXXVII
98L METEMPSYCHOSIS
44XXXVIII
99LI THE FRAGMENT
45XXXIX
100LII ONE OF THE BEST
46XL
101LIII THE SEA-DOG
47On A Chinese Screen
102LIV THE QUESTION
48I THE RISING OF THE CURTAIN
103LV THE SINOLOGUE
49II MY LADY'S PARLOUR
104LVI THE VICE-CONSUL
50III THE MONGOL CHIEF
105LVII A CITY BUILT ON A ROCK
51IV THE ROLLING STONE
106LVIII A LIBATION TO THE GODS
52V THE CABINET MINISTER
107Analysis
53VI DINNER PARTIES
108Reflection
54VII THE ALTAR OF HEAVEN
109Memorable Quotes
55VIII THE SERVANTS OF GOD
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