Sir Max Beerbohm's Seven Men was a joy to read. It presented the reader with an interesting view of what writing does to a writer. Through the stories of these different writers and through his own story, Beerbohm explores the ego of the author and describes the great lengths to which a writer will go to further his career.
I especially enjoyed the tale of Enoch Soames who traded his soul to the devil to catch a glimpse of his own remembrances. The twist in this tale caused me to take pause and recognize with what ease one might live for the future and while doing so forsake the present. Soames left the realm of the living destroyed and dejected despite the efforts of his champion to change his will.
I also liked the tale of trickery that unfolded in Hilary Maltby and Stephen Braxton, that explored the guilty conscious of one of the writers. Beerbohm eloquently explored the effects of the guilty mind on the well-being and health of the human behind that mind.
Beerbohm creates with Seven Men a series of intricate tales of caution, of what to be wary of and of what not to become. With these stories he illustrates how one's passion can indeed overcome one's life, and that without moderation, the self actually becomes lost. His ability to infuse comedy into his writing made Seven Men a quick and easy read that really is a masterpiece. This is certainly a novel to which I will often return.
No comments:
Post a Comment