Abstract
Based on his experiences during a journey through mainland Southeast Asia in 1923, Somerset Maugham wrote a book of colonial travel entitled The Gentleman in the Parlour. As the work of one of the most popular writers of the twentieth century, Maugham’s travelogue both expressed and helped to shape contemporary thinking about Southeast Asia and Western imperialism. Focusing especially on his representations of Burma and Cambodia, an analysis is presented of Maugham’s book in the light of postcolonial scholarship, especially the theoretical insights developed under the inspiration of Edward Said’s Orientalism. Despite its pretensions to be apolitical, Maugham’s travel book is shown to be a repository of Western colonial ideas and attitudes, integrally involved in the circulation of the prevailing European discourse of high imperialism. As such, it is a valuable resource for historians and other scholars who wish to understand the way that discourse worked at the level of popular literature.
Highlights
Somerset Maugham was one of the most popular authors of the twentieth century
In 1923 Somerset Maugham travelled across mainland Southeast Asia from Myanmar (
Maugham was already known as a world traveller, having previously published travel books on Spain and China, as well as many short stories and novels based on his journeying experiences
Summary
Somerset Maugham was one of the most popular authors of the twentieth century His prodigious literary output, which included novels, short stories and plays as well as travel books, essays and literary criticism, always attracted a large readership and was outstandingly successful in commercial terms. His popularity as a writer has endured to this day, with his books remaining in print and being read by a wide international public. The extent of Maugham’s popular acclaim was an indicator that his attitudes and assessments both reflected and influenced contemporary views on a broad range of issues.
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