The Bishop's Apron

by W. Somerset Maugham

Canon Spratte is an important man...most of all in his own mind. He is the son of a Lord Chancellor of England, which alone should insure him the position to which he knows he is entitled. He deserves to be the next Bishop of Sheffield."Spratte never concealed from the world that he rated himself highly. He esteemed bashfulness a sign of bad manners, and used to say that a man who pretended not to know his own value was a fool." He knows theoretically that others might not share his good opinion of himself, but he is amazed to find his own family among them.

Genres: Fiction, Classics, Audiobook, Novels, British Literature

Library Binding

First published January 1, 1906

About the author

William Somerset Maugham was born in Paris in 1874. He spoke French even before he spoke a word of English, a fact to which some critics attribute the purity of his style.

His parents died early and, after an unhappy boyhood, which he recorded poignantly in Of Human Bondage, Maugham became a qualified physician. But writing was his true vocation. For ten years before his first success, he almost literally starved while pouring out novels and plays.

Maugham wrote at a time when experimental modernist literature such as that of William Faulkner, Thomas Mann, James Joyce and Virginia Woolf was gaining increasing popularity and winning critical acclaim. In this context, his plain prose style was criticized as 'such a tissue of clichés' that one's wonder is finally aroused at the writer's ability to assemble so many and at his unfailing inability to put anything in an individual way.

During World War I, Maugham worked for the British Secret Service . He travelled all over the world, and made many visits to America. After World War II, Maugham made his home in south of France and continued to move between England and Nice till his death in 1965.

At the time of Maugham's birth, French law was such that all foreign boys born in France became liable for conscription. Thus, Maugham was born within the Embassy, legally recognized as UK territory.

Reviews

[MichLP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love reading Maugham, and this book was no exception. His character development is amazing. He has a way of humanizing his characters so that the reader is exposed to both admirable and reprehensible traits. In this book the antagonist, Theodore Spratte, manages to be both kind and conniving, and I found myself rooting for him to succeed in his ambitions and various schemes.

[Tububa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I ran back to Maugham after reading a truly atrocious novel that I will review when I have the strength to enumerate its many flaws. The rating of five stars is largely due to the contrast effect. Maugham's language is clear and precise. His characters are carefully and mercilessly observed; this was always his greatest strength. Never let an observant misanthrope near a pen.

The plot of The Bishop's Apron has a pleasing inevitability to it; I chuckled to myself when a few predictable denouements unknotted themselves. It felt like listening to Bach--predictable, yes, but beautiful, too.

The novel isn't anything profound; it is not about a profound man, either. The clue is in his name: it's an embellished "sprat", which, Americans might not know, is a cheap fish somewhere between a sardine and an anchovy. But this is a sprat of ambition. He wants to be a trout, at least. And so he climbs and schemes. His daughter is set on marrying a moneyless socialist with an embarrassing family, how can that stand? Spratte himself wants to become a bishopric. A wife with some money would be nice, too. Will he get these things? Read the novel to find out!

Stray observation: hehe, White Satin. The scenes with the moneyless socialist's mom was possibly my favorite. You can tell this novel had its origins as a play. If it were made into a play again, it would be a perfect fit for the Mint in NYC.

[David Waldron · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't believe that The Bishop's Apron rises to the level of the author's best work, but It may be the novel that best showcases Maugham's great wit. I enjoyed it very much.

[Simon Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and stinging stab at english social climbing in the early twentieth century - as always with Maugham it is beautifully written and right on the mark. A fun read.

[#DÏ4B7Ø Chinnamasta-Bhairav]

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To SEE a WORLD in a Grain of Sand,
And a HEAVEN in a Wild Flower,
Hold INFINITY in the palm of your hand
And ETERNITY in an Hour"
~ William Blake ~

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Form is Emptiness; Emptiness is form.
Form is not different than Emptiness;
Emptiness is not different than form
~ Heart Sutra ~

Like the ocean and its waves,
inseparable yet distinct

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" I and The Father are one,
I am The Truth,
The Life and The Path.”

Like a river flowing from its source,
connected and continuous

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Thy kingdom come.
Let the reign of divine
Truth, Life, and Love
be established in me,
and rule out of me all sin;
and may Thy Word
enrich the affections of all mankind

A mighty oak tree standing firm against the storm,
As sunlight scatters the shadows of night
A river nourishing the land it flows through

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[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is from a collection of his writings. To some he may be a period writer, however I still enjoy his story telling and droll humor especially regarding the English Classes.

[Nancy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rereading Somerset Maugham as a mature adult. I always y s enjoyed his writing, but now I truly appreciate his style

[Laura]

Free download available at Project Gutenberg.

[Jon Van Til · Rating 5 out of 5]

Compelling and delightful!

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm not sure how this book is rated by the critics, but I found it witty and clever.