1. 研究目的与意义（文献综述）

william somersetmaugham was a british playwright, novelist and short story writer. he was amongthe most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest-paid authorduring the 1930s.

after both his parents died before he was10, maugham was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. notwanting to become a lawyer like other men in his family, maugham eventuallytrained and qualified as a physician. the initial run of his first novel, liza of lambeth(1897), sold out so rapidly that maugham gave up medicine towrite full-time.

during the first world war he served with the red cross and in the ambulance corps, before being recruited in 1916into the british secret intelligence service, for which he worked inswitzerland and russia before the october revolution of 1917. during and after the war, he travelled in india andsoutheast asia; these experiences were reflected in later short stories andnovels.

2. 研究的基本内容与方案

thebritish writer somerset maugham has always been in a controversial situation inliterary history, while his works have extensive readers in the world, but tothe literary history overlooked. the moon and sixpence and the razor’s edge are good examples toelaborate maugham’s unique spiritual ideas.

the paper would be divided intofive parts, apart from the first part of introduction and the final part ofconclusion, the major three parts are the key. firstly i would discuss maugham’s life experience,his main achievements and the main novel’s unique theme andstyle. maugham, as arealistic writer, focused on the conflict between materialistic life andspiritual space. in regards to his narrative style, his language use is brief,concise and even conversational. in these two fictions, maugham tells the storyin the first narrative. the narrator in the story is the character in thefiction yet seemingly like the real writer. the narrators’ profession in the moon and sixpence and the razor’s edge are both writers and even namedmaugham. this purposely coincidence strengthen the truth of the whole story andobfuscate the border between reality and fiction. as for the narrativetechniques, above all irony is most frequently used in his fiction. the impliedirony of dialogue and environment shape the personality of the characters suchas elliott in the razor’s edge. then the direct description ofdialogue constitutes the uniqueness of his fictions as well. the conversationbetween characters stresses the personality of characters and present the realsituation in front of the readers.

in the second part the common theme would bedemonstrated from different facets. the moonand sixpence and the razor’s edge areproclaimed to be the representatives that reveal the diversity of humanity andquest for freedom. maugham shows different life attitudes and believes throughtwo male characters respectively. yet the similarity lies in that their coursesof life are both the exploration of salvation. their struggle for the libertyand spiritual salvation would be explained from three perspectives: value thesoul rather than body; value the spirituality rather than material; value theinsanity rather than sanity.

then the comparison would be made to presentthe change of maugham’s philosophical thinking. on the one hand,maugham was deeply affected by the western ideas of liberty and individuality.on the other hand, the salvation achieved through self-culture. stricklandin the moon and sixpence dedicated toart and parted from the material society. larry in the razor’s edge experienced great spiritual adventures and discovered the life end meaningoriginated in veda. for thesalvation spirit, both heroes in the novels indicate the pursuit forspirituality and insanity. however their ultimate salvation presents two kinds ofphilosophical thinking of maugham and implies the change in his ideas. ingeneral, the ideal salvation in maugham’s mind swifts from the westernliberal spirit to mysterious eastern philosophy and religion. this changeembodies the confusion and conflict of the writer himself as well as the wholesociety.

3. 研究计划与安排

before 15th, january settlement of the title

before 25th, february submission of the outline

before 25th, april submission of the first draft

4. 参考文献（12篇以上）

[1]chen shua-hua. maugham’sspiritual post-indian culture[j].journalof yibin university,2012-11.

[2] daniels, anthony, “ how good wasmaugham?.” new criterion 22.6(2004):19-26.mla international bibliography. web.14sept.2012

[3]edmund wilson, “the apotheosis ofsomerset maugham”, in edmund wilson:literary essays and reviews of the 1930samp;40s: the triple thinkers. thewound and the bow, classic and commercials, uncollected reviews, new york:library of amercia,2007:725,731