月亮与六便士

TheMoonAndSixpenceAbriefintroductionoftheauthorWilliamSomersetMaughamAfamousBritishnovelistandplaywright.Hewasamongthemostpopularwritersofhiseraandreputedlythehighestpaidauthorduringthe1930s.Hewasborninalawyer'sfamily.Hisparentsdiedearly,sohisunclebroughthimbacktoEngland.Hestudiedmedicineinuniversitybutlater,instead,heturnedtowrite.Hisworkoftentakesasober,objectiveandevencriticalattitudetolookatlife,withadetachmentofironyandpity.Hehasalargereadershipathomeandabroad.Timeline:1874-Bornonthe25thofJanuary.1905-OfHumanBondage,anothernovelwrittenduringthisperiodappeared.1916-MaughamtravelledtothePacifictoresearchhisnovelTheMoonAndSixpence,basedonthelifeofPaulGauguin.1917-SyrieandMaughamweremarried.1922-Maughamproducedabookof58shortstorysketches.1927-Hisplay,TheLetter,wasperformedinLondon.1944-TheRazor'sEdgewaspublished.1954-HewrotehismemoirLookingBack.1965-Diedonthe16thofDecember.AsummaryofthenovelThisstoryisbasedontheFrenchimpressionistpainterPaulgauguin'slife.ItdescribesanordinaryLondonstockbrokerStrickland,whowasaddictedtotheart,abandonedhiswifeandchildren,abandonedhiswealthyandhappylife,wenttowenttoParis,determinedtofindhisart.Fiveyearslater,Stricklandwasdownandout,buthewasstillinhisdreamandneverregrettedit.Inthepursuitofart,histalentwasgraduallyrecognized.LaterhewenttothesouthPacificTahiti.Hecomposedhisbrightlifewithpen,andInjectedhisvalueoflifeintothecanvas.Thenhemarriedanativewomanandhadthreechildren.Butnotforlong,hischildrendiedandhesufferedfromleprosy.Thestruggleofpovertyandthetormentofthediseasedidn'thithimdown.Hejustregrettedthathehadnevervisitedhisconsciousness.Afterhisdeath,hiswifefollowedhislastwishes,destroyedhislegacy.Theworkperformancetalent,personalityandmaterialcivilization,andthecontradictionbetweenmodernmarriageandfamilylife.Ithasabroadviewoflife,sharplydissectsthehumannatureundertheskin,mixingwithonlookers'laughandcruellooking.AshortanalysisoftheleadingcharacterMostpeoplefindhisbehaviorquiteincomprehensible,andtheycriticisehisselfish,coldnessandhisdeviationonmorality.However,somepeoplecallhimageniuswiththeinnatemission,andaveragepersoncannotunderstandhim.Infact,whenIfirstreadthisbookinmiddleschool,Iwasdeeplytouched.IdidappreciateCharlesStrickland'sdeviation...Thecentralcharacter,CharlesStricklandisamiddle-agedEnglishstockbrokerwhoabandonshiswifeandchildrenabruptlytopursuehisdesiretobecomeanartist.•ButwhenIreadthebookagainincollege,Ifeeldifferently.IfindthatCharlesisnotapaintinggenius,Andheneverthoughthecandoitsowell.Paintingisjustatool.Andeveryonehasatooltoshowthemeaningoflife,butweforgetitinthetide,andweloosethefreedom…•Sometimeswesay'changetheworld',butinthemosttimetheworldchangesus.Becausewedocareaboutwhatwearelookedlikeinthisworld.•It'sthemostterriblethingthatsomedayyoufindthatyoubecomeoneofthemtocritisiceothers…ThereasonwhyIrecommendthisnovelWhenpersonalvaluesconflictwithsocialvalues,thisbookdomakesence…Fromalong-termperspectiveofsociety,wecanchoosemorality,butdonotcriticizeeveryone'srighttochoosethefreedom.ThanksforMaugham,hegaveusachancetothinkaboutmoralityandfreedom.