Murder and Maugham: A Neglected Subversive?
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X0207500405 |
| Author | Keith Soothill |
| Date | 01 November 2002 |
| Published date | 01 November 2002 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
KEITH SOOTHILL
Professor
of
Social Research, Department
of
Applied Social
Science, Lancaster University
MURDER AND MAUGHAM: A
NEGLECTED SUBVERSIVE?*
Somerset Mangham's writings had huge audiences in the first
half of the twentieth century. In much of his work the focus is
on people behaving badly. What effect did his work have on
his readers? This article examines his short stories, of which
approximately one-fifth of the major ones have murder as their
theme. Focusing on the murders that Maugham 'creates', the
claim is that Maugham is subversive, challenging some readily
made assumptions. In Maugham' s scheme of things, the crim-
inal justice system is usually inappropriate, irrelevant or pro-
duces injustice, with 'rough justice' usually the best that is on
offer. The resourceful can get away with murder. Murder is not
the most serious crime for many. Instinct rather than rationality
is the best judge. Maugham also emphasises the importance of
fate, thus implying we are not in control of our destinies.
The article argues that popular authors, such as Maugham,
may have contributed much more than is generally recognised
to the developing unease about the 'status quo' that ultimately
led to the landslide victory of the Labour government in
1945.
Why Mangham?
This article was originally presented at a conference entitled
'Who Dunnit?' Focusing on Somerset Maugham was perhaps
apt, as some say that Maugham may have originated the term
when he used it in his short story, 'The Creative Impulse', first
printed in Harper's Bazaar in August 1926 (Whitehead, 1974).
However, although he later used the term 'Whodunit' in his
essay 'The Decline and Fall of the Detective Story' (Maugham,
1952), he did not claim to have invented it. In fact, it was not
because of all this that I chose 'Maugham and Murder' as my
topic, but because I believe his work, rarely now discussed, had
a massive impact on many, particularly in the English-speaking
world. His work was often reviled by literary critics, but his
popular audience was among the respectable working class and a
newly emerging middle class whose own childhoods had not
been spent among book-lined libraries in their own homes. My
father, who was very keen to impress upon me the qualities of
330 The Police Journal, Volume 75 (2002)
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