A Lunch Time Trauma - W.S. Maugham's 'The Luncheon'
Your Table is Waiting - Photo by Lesley Lanir Somerset Maugham There are difficult occasions in life which seem ludicrous when viewed from a different perspective, especially with the added contortions of time. Such an event provides the framework for Somerset Maugham’s short story ‘The Luncheon.' Accompanying the narrator during his recollection of lunch time occasion, the reader meets a young, naive writer faced with a luncheon meeting that if not handled carefully may cost him more than his month’s allowance. His ordeal becomes a critical yet humorous expose of the conventions of high society and Maugham’s deliberate use of contrasting flat characters further intensifies the mockery. Each character is a social stereotype; their polarity serves to emphasise the gaps in society providing the perfect dramatic irony to enhances the humour and reinforce the theme. Lunch - Photo by Lesley Lanir Read Somerset Maugham’s 'The Luncheon' and find out why a simple meeting exposes t...