Ashenden by William Somerset Maugham
Ashenden is a novel by William Somerset Maugham that follows the story of a British spy living in Paris during World War I. The protagonist, Ashenden, is struggling with his own moral ambiguity and the dehumanizing effects of espionage. Through his experiences, Maugham explores themes of identity, loyalty, and the blurred lines between right and wrong in a time of war.
By William Somerset Maugham · First published 1928 · Genre: Spy Fiction, Historical Fiction, War Fiction · 17 chapters · 101,355 words
First lines
This book is founded on my experiences in the Intelligence Department during the war, but rearranged for the purposes of fiction. Fact is a poor storyteller. It starts a story at haphazard, generally long before the beginning, rambles on inconsequently and tails off, leaving loose ends hanging about, without a conclusion. It works up to an interesting situation, and then leaves it in the air to follow an issue that has nothing to do with the point; it has no sense of climax and whittles away its dramatic effects in irrelevance. There is a school of novelists that looks upon this as the proper model for fiction. If life, they say, is arbitrary and disconnected, why, fiction should be so too; for fiction should imitate life. In life things happen at random, and that is how they should happen in a story; they do not lead to a climax, which is an outrage to probability, they just go on.
What this Textopian page supports
Ashenden is listed on Textopian as a novel by William Somerset Maugham, dated 1928 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: William Somerset Maugham
- Date: 1928 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Spy Fiction, Historical Fiction, War Fiction, Adventure, Drama
- Length: 101,355 words
- Structure: 17 chapters, 1,963 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for Ashenden by William Somerset Maugham
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering Ashenden?
- How does this novel by William Somerset Maugham fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Spy Fiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- A Physiologists Wife by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
- Eyes In The Air by Gilbert Frankau
- An Unpardonable Liar by Gilbert Parker
- The Lady Of Launay by Anthony Trollope
- Major Wilbraham by Hugh Walpole
- The Man Who Was by Rudyard Kipling
Genres
- Spy Fiction — The book revolves around Ashenden, a writer by profession, who is employed by British Intelligence as a secret agent during World War I.
- Historical Fiction — The plot takes place during World War I, making the book fall under the genre of historical fiction.
- War Fiction — The backdrop of the story is World War I, involving various missions and dealings in the realm of war and espionage.
- Adventure — The various missions Ashenden undertakes and the different locations he visits give the book elements of adventure.
Tags
spy · espionage · World War I · short stories · literary fiction · adventure · mystery · character study · British literature · introspection · narrative · realism
Contents
- Preface
- I: R
- II: A Domiciliary Visit
- III: Miss King
- IV: The Hairless Mexican
- V: The Dark Woman
- VI: The Greek
- VII: A Trip to Paris
- VIII: Giulia Lazzari
- IX: Gustav
- X: The Traitor
- XI: Behind the Scenes
- XII: His Excellency
- XIII: The Flip of a Coin
- XIV: A Chance Acquaintance
- XV: Love and Russian Literature
- XVI: Mr. Harrington's Washing