W. Somerset Maugham

Course Description

W. Somerset Maugham was a British novelist, playwright, and short-story writer, and he was the best-paid author in the world in the 1930s. In his view, travelling extensively was the best education for an aspiring writer. So, he set off with a friend on a series of travels to eastern Asia, the Pacific Islands and Mexico, which highly influenced the short stories we will read and discuss. Although his writing is said to be entertaining rather than didactic, his stories are usually quite thought-provoking. In this course we will read a variety of short stories by Maugham, focussing on plot, structure, character, style, language, human relationships, homosexuality, sexism, and racism.

Required Reading: Copies of Collected Short Stories by W. Somerset Maugham will be available at the university bookshop UNIVERSITAS.

Prerequisites: Einführungskurs "Introduction to the Study of Literature"

Requirements for Credit: Regular attendance, oral presentation, and term paper

Registration: To register, please send an e-mail to angelika.keil@phil.tu-chemnitz.de