Classics · MelancholicOrphaned and club-footed, Philip Carey searches for direction through art, medicine and troubled relationships
Of Human Bondage
An orphan with a club foot looks for purpose through art, medicine and love
Philip Carey is orphaned as a boy and raised by his uncle and aunt in Blackstable, Kent. He has a club foot, and he searches for direction through art, medicine and a series of troubled relationships, including with Mildred. The settings include Kent, Heidelberg, Paris, London and Dorsetshire around the turn of the 20th century. William Heinemann published it in 1915.
More about this book
Who
Philip Carey, Mildred, Norah Nesbit, Fanny Price and the Athelny family.
World
Kent, Heidelberg, Paris and London, around the turn of the 20th century.
What makes it different
It is strongly autobiographical, though Maugham said, "This is a novel, not an autobiography." He took the title from Spinoza's Ethics.
Feel
Long and searching.
Page count and cover shown for: Selected edition
Further reading
- Of Human BondageWikipedia