Mr. Know-AllMr. Know-All by W. Somerset by W. Somerset

MaughamMaughamClass: Contemporary English Literature I

Lecturer: Mr. TanStudent: Vo Ngoc Ky Duyen

ID: K39.701.022

Author• BORN: 1874, Paris, France;• DIED: 1965, Nice, France.• Orphaned as a young boy, then moved to Canterbury.• Attracted from medicine to letters by first successful novel

Liza of Lambeth (1897).• GENRE: Novels, short stories, plays;• MAJOR WORKS:

Of Human Bondage (1915)The Moon and Sixpence (1919)The Painted Veil (1925)Cakes and Ale; or, The Skeleton in the Cupboard (1930)The Razor’s Edge (1944)

Author

• “In my 20s, the critics said I was brutal, my 30s they said I was flippant, my 40s they said I was cynical and my 50s they said I was competent and in 60s they said I was superficial. I went my own way with a shrug of the shoulders, following the path I had traced and trying with my work to fill out the pattern of life that I’ve made for myself.”

• He points out a writer ‘seeks to prove nothing. He paints a picture and sets it before you. You can take it or leave it.’ Most take it.

The film on screen

Setting• The story published in

1924, filmed in 1950.• Took place on a ocean-

going liner.• WWI just ended.• Accommodation

was very difficult.

Characters• Mr. Gray – the narrator: reserved, fr

igid, closed-minded• Mr. Kelada – Mr. Know-All: chatty,

hearty, pushy, self-confident, argumentative

• Mr. Ramsay: dogmatic, boorish• Mrs. Ramsay: a pretty little thing, mo

dest, has the effect of a quiet distinction

Plot synopsis• Reserved Mr. Gray (Wilfred Hyde-White) finds himself forced to share a cabin

on a liner with the hearty, pushy, supremely self-confident gem dealer Max Kelada (Nigel Patrick) who is not an ideally typical English gentleman. Kelada, however, dominates all the onboard social gatherings, much to the annoyance of his fellow passengers, who call him "Mr. Know-All”, which he takes as a compliment, because of his insistence that he is an expert on all subjects.

• One night, he remarks on the fine quality of the pearl necklace worn by the pretty Mrs. Ramsay (Anne Crawford), who has rejoined her husband (Naunton Wayne) after a two-year separation caused by his work.

• Mr. Ramsay bets him that the pearls are imitation; Kelada swiftly accepts the wager, despite Mrs. Ramsay's attempt to call it off.While examining the pearls, Kelada notices that the woman shows abject fright. He then pretentiously admits that he was wrong and pays Mr. Ramsay.

• Afterwards, back in their cabin, Gray and Kelada are surprised when a banknote is slipped under their door. Gray then knows the truth: the pearls are real and very costly. Kelada adds that he would not have left such an attractive wife alone for that long. Gray begins to like his cabin-mate.

Humour• Snappy dialogues; • Kelada’s fast speaking, hearty laugh, and his ex

uberant gestures and attitude;• At first:

Mr. Kelada too familiar, loud, insensitive>< Mr. Gray reserved, frigid, prejudiced;Mr. Kelada pushy, cocksure >< Mr. Ramsay dogmatic, boorish;

HumourIt turns out that…• Mr. Kelada: kind, sensitive;• Mr. Gray: more open-minded, befriend with K

elada;• Mrs. Ramsay: possibly unfaithful to her husba

nd=> not as properly-mannered as thought and shown by her modest appearance; ashamed so that she returns 100$ to Kelada.

Irony• Whereas usually a decent act adds to one’s reputation,

Mr. Kelada’s decent act lessens his reputation.• Mr. Kelada who apparently lacks sensitivity to other

people, is sensitive to Mrs. Ramsay more than her husband is.

• Mr. Kelada is a real “Know-All”, from all subjects to the understanding for a woman’s feelings neglected by her husband, and sacrificing his pride to save a marriage of two acquaintances.

Meaning• Not to judge people by their appearances.• Not to let prejudices and closed-mindedness

defer us to see good qualities and characters in other people.

• If we look beyond racial, cultural differences, and look at human qualities, we are able to like those who are even quite different from us.

- The end -- The end -