About this title: Based on the life of Paul Gaugin, THE MOON AND SIXPENCE chronicles the life of Charles Strickland, a middle-class stockbroker who flees from his London life and family, first to Paris and then to a distant Pacific island. The narrator of the story, a writer, tracks down Strickland as a favor to his wife, a society woman known for her interest in ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Book League of America
Date Published: 1919
Description: Fair. No dust jacket. Cloth cover faded, foxing on margins. 341 p. Fictionalized biography of the artist Paul Gaugin and his life in the South Pacific. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date Published: 1977
ISBN-13:9780140004687ISBN:0140004688
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Cover wear, underlining and notes inside. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 224 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Grosset & Dunlap
Date Published: 1919
Description: Good. No Jacket. Pages clean, very aged (turning brown) cover tan with green print and design. binding tight. sticker inside cover. corners and spine bumped, lightly soiled front and back. good condition for age of book. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Dover Publications
Date Published: 1995
ISBN-13:9780486287317ISBN:0486287319
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Ex-library. Covers flexible a fairly good amount, rest of binding a little flexible, little edge wear, clean pages. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 164 p. Dover Thrift Editions. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Penguin Books
Date Published: 1977
ISBN-13:9780140004687ISBN:0140004688
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. No marks on pages but for pencil name inside cover. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 224 p. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: George Doran, NY
Date Published: 1919
Description: Good. No Jacket. Prev. owners name. Authors name spelled correctly. -----Serving the NW Chicago suburbs and the World since 1975----- read more
Binding: Softcover
Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics)
Date Published: 1977
ISBN-13:9780140004687ISBN:0140004688
Description: A wonderful copy with some minor edgewear to the cover. Previous owners name inscribed inside front. -, Trade PaperBack, Very Good / read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Description: Good. Light shelf wear and minimal interior marks. Millions of satisfied customers and climbing. Thriftbooks is the name you can trust, guaranteed. Spend Less. Read More. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Dover Publications
Date Published: 1995
ISBN-13:9780486287317ISBN:0486287319
Description: Acceptable. MAY HAVE COVER WEAR, SPINE CREASES, HIGHLIGHTING, UNDERLINING & PAGES YELLOWED FROM AGE. FASTER SERVICE FROM US! ! ! read more
"The character of Charles Strickland, an eccentric painter who deserted his family to paint, is based on the Impressionist painter Paul Gauguin. The narrator, after a knowing Strickland intermittently over a period of years shares what he knew of the man. The book was published in 1919, so the language took a little getting used to. But what makes the book a gem, are the generalizations about women that were assumedly accepted during that time. For instance, the narrator, wondering if he should pursue his line of questioning with Strickland says "It requires the feminine temperament to repeat the same thing three times with unabated zest".
While the story is interesting, the interest for me lies in its revelation of a bygone era."
"In his wonderfully fluid and poetic prose, Maugham offers up thoughtful musings on the nature of living for one's art and the art of living.
This 'recounting' of the story of painter Charles Strickland (essentially Paul Gauguin re-imagined as an Englishman) from Maugham's viewpoint keeps us from being able to fully divine what motivates the artist. All we know is that art becomes everything to Strickland and, regardless of how he treats others or even himself throughout the tale, his dedication to his muse is ultimately admirable. But is it necessary? That question takes on especial poignancy at the end when Maugham notes that Strickland's long-abandoned wife proclaims great art as being that which is 'essentially decorative'.
'The Moon and Sixpence' is a superb examination into the necessity of art in everyday existence."
"Charles Strickland is an ordinary, boring stockbroker until in his early 40's he deserts wife and family to become an artist. Maugham wrote this book in 1919 and it is inspired by the life of Paul Gauguin.
The book describes a man who is obsessed with the need to create no matter what it costs his family, himself or others. It takes him from Paris, to Marseilles and finally to Tahiti where he "goes native" and begins to do his most notable works.
THe book is also a philosophical discussion of art as an expression of beauty vs release of expression. It is a book of contrasts between the sane and insane, genius and sanity, ordinary and extraordinary, restrained and free.
The title was taken from his previous book Of Human Bondage-- "so busy yearning for the moon that he never saw the sixpence at his feet.""
"This is a fictional story based off of the life of Paul Gauguin. A stockbroker left his wife, children, career, life as he knew it: to pursue the life of being an artist. Something he doesn't know the 1st thing about.
It was fascinating to me to read about a person that suddenly did not care about anyone or anything but pursuing his wants. The story starts just before he leaves and takes us through his journey to find the Artist's way, & while it was a single choice of one man, it shows how a choice like that can affect much more than just his own life. I found it much better than I thought it would be."
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