Being Loyal To Art And Facing Reality ——An Interpretation Of The Moon And Sixpence Based On Aestheticism

William Somerset Maugham（1874-1965）is a famous British novelist and dramatist.The Moon and Sixpence is one of his most famous works.Maugham used the first-person narrative method to vividly narrate the whole story: Strickland,a middle-aged stockbroker with a successful career and a happy family,suddenly abandoned his wife and children to pursue his painting dream.Strickland’s behavior is criticized by most people,but the “I” in the novel gradually understand what he did as I get to know him deeply,thinking that although he has a bad temper,he is very brave.Because to live out of oneself is something that many people can’t do.The novel also involves thought-provoking issues such as the emergence and essence of art,the relationship between art and life,and the contradiction between the artist and the real society.Previous studies of The Moon and Sixpence have focused on thematic studies of the novel,character analysis,analysis of narrative features,studies of the author himself,and comparative and parallel studies between different translations.The analysis of the contradiction between art and real life embodied in the novel lacks a more systematic and comprehensive study.Moreover,England in the late 19 th century was experiencing the aesthetic movement,and Maugham was inevitably influenced by aestheticism.Therefore,this thesis attempts to analyze the characters and plot arrangement in the novel from the perspective of aestheticism,and explain the efforts made by aestheticists to help modern people return to their true life.Aestheticism has two main propositions,namely “art for art’s sake” and “artistic life”.The most basic connotation of “art for art’s sake” refers to the independence of art,that is,art is separated from the pursuit of morality,separated from the utilitarian pursuit of money and practicality,and only exists for its own purpose and for itself.The“artistic life” encourages people to pursue beauty and art as the supreme goal of life,and to treat life with the spirit of art,that is,to live a life with the same means and purpose.Based on these two propositions of aestheticism,this thesis first analyzes how the protagonist,Stroeve and “I” in The Moon and Sixpence pursue “art for art’s sake” in their artistic practice.Secondly,it analyzes how the protagonist practices “art for art’s sake” in his life,as well as the reasons and significance of practicing this proposition.Then,this thesis discusses how the protagonist,Abraham and others have successfully realized the artistic life in the ideal place and found the ideal person to live together.In the process of searching,due to the contradictions of aestheticism itself,aesthetes will encounter some practical difficulties.Finally,this thesis attempts to call on people to coordinate the relationship between art and life,and find a more feasible way to solve the emptiness of modern people’s spiritual world.