Laurence Brander

Laurence Brander has written book-length analyses of the works of at least four authors -- Somerset Maugham, EM Forster, Tobias Smollett and George Orwell. Having enjoyed and learned from his books on Maugham and Forster, I was glad to obtain his account of George Orwell's works. Brander knew Orwell back in the 1940s (Orwell's last decade), as they both contributed to BBC broadcasts in India during World War II; they also corresponded until shortly before his death in 1950.

Brander's book is a description and literary critique of the traditional sort. Each of Orwell's major novels is given a separate chapter. Other chapters are devoted to his literary essays, his prose and politics, an overall assessment of his work, and an epilogue. Having been published in 1954, Brander's book is probably the very earliest such work. Thus, it predates the abundance of criticism and analysis published over the past several decades, including works that challenge and defend Orwell's politics and views on social and economic issues. Accordingly, it does not contribute to the extensive dialogue that post-dates him, and in that respect, it is dated.

Nevertheless, I found Brander's account a useful overview, and free of the pedantry and jargon that such later works often contain. I made marginal notes in several places for future reference, and highlighted several memorable quotes. Here's one from Brander's epilogue:

”Orwell helped to carry on two great traditions in English prose. He was an individualist and he cared for prose style. He did his work at a time when individualism was as unpopular as ever and when more crude writing than ever was getting into print.... By the time he wrote his later essays he had tempered his style into a strong, fine, supple instrument. He worked on his prose in the furnace of his intellect until it became a clear reflection of his character and what he had to say. He is therefore a model as he would have wished to be; for the fight which he fought will be continued for a long time. So long as totalitarianism exists anywhere, free government is under threat and every free man is in danger. Orwell concentrated his energies on making people more conscious of this danger.”

Interestingly, Brander attributes the dark mood of Orwell's 1984 (as compared to its Newspeak appendix and to Animal Farm) to Orwell's failing health (he was dying of TB). "As he first conceived it, this picture of the future was intended to have the hilarity which is really the best mood for such an escapade, as Brave New World has shown. But as he wrote, he became more and more ill and the book turned out very differently. As he said himself: 'It wouldn't have been so gloomy if I hadn't been so ill.'" (p. 204) (I have verified the quote).

From other accounts that I've read (such as Christopher Hitchens' Why Orwell Matters) I doubt that scholarly commentators will find this work to be especially insightful. However, students and other readers may find its descriptions and perspective useful. Although this book will chiefly be of interest to people familiar with Orwell's writing, it may well stimulate some readers to seek out his lesser known novels and essays.… (més)

Laurence Brander's book has the distinction of being the first comprehensive guide to the writing of Somerset Maugham. Several subsequent reviews of Maugham's writing have been published by other authors, but with few exceptions they tend to be of mediocre quality and questionable utility. What's more, most have had no discernible impact on either public or critical opinion.

Brander's work offers a broad if concise review of Maugham's works, including the novels, plays, travel books, short stories, personal writings, and collections. Given the scope of this work, a reader who has not had the opportunity or inclination to read all of Maugham's extensive oeuvre is given a broad overview of the themes and content of the author's contributions. Because Brander's review is organized chronologically, Maugham's works are examined in social and historical context, and in light of Maugham's development as an author.

In sharp contrast to other "critical analyses" of Maugham's work, Brander takes a respectful but analytical approach to his subject. He does not presume to analyze the author's psyche, to ferret out secrets of his sex life, or to pontificate on perceived flaws in his work or character. Nor does he engage in that hackneyed parlor game of scrutinizing the author's fiction for allegedly autobiographical elements. Rather, Brander stays with his subject -- the author's literary contributions -- to help the reader understand thematic elements and historical contexts. When Brander offers his own opinions as to quality, he gives his judgments a rationale. Thus regardless of whether the reader agrees, one’s perspective is broadened by that of a knowledgeable expert.

Brander considers Cakes and Ale to be the author’s best novel, and its character Rosie to be “one of the most real women in English fiction.” Theatre is “flawlessly written… a little masterpiece.” The Narrow Corner is “one of the finest works the author has given us, and it has never had its due.” On a less lofty note, he describes The Painted Veil as “having everything but reality and vitality. The characters do not come alive…. The workmanship is wonderful.. the skill is astonishing. But it is work in two dimensions and successful story- telling is in three.” In considering the scope of Maugham's fiction, Brander asks “What recent writer has made so many characters and what writer has ever created so many enduring rogues and delightfully naughty women? Dickens comes to mind, but of course he inhabited the previous century.

A reader intimately familiar with Maugham’s work may find this small volume superfluous. However, as an introduction to Somerset Maugham’s extensive literary output, Brander’s volume is one of the better works available. Ahead of it I would rank only a few works, among them Anthony Curtis’ The Pattern of Maugham: A Critical Portrait and John Whitehead’s Maugham: A Reappraisal.… (més)