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    The Plain Man and His Wife
    The Plain Man and His Wife
    The Plain Man and His Wife
    Ebook105 pages1 hour

    The Plain Man and His Wife

    By Arnold Bennett

    2/5

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArchive Classics
    Release dateNov 25, 2013
    The Plain Man and His Wife
    Author

    Arnold Bennett

    Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) was an English novelist renowned as a prolific writer throughout his entire career. The most financially successful author of his day, he lent his talents to numerous short stories, plays, newspaper articles, novels, and a daily journal totaling more than one million words.

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    • 2/5
      Arnold Bennett was a very prolific writer, perhaps the most successful Edwardian author. He was a self-made man, originally from very humble origins. His success and self-confidence led him to the conviction that he could often do things better than other. At the height of his career he published a number of non-fictional works advising readers how to improve themselves. Bennett wrote two guides for aspiring writers: How to Become an Author in 1903, and The Author's Craft in 1913. His own credo about authorship was expressed as follows: "Am I to sit still and see other fellows pocketing two guineas apiece for stories which I can do better myself?"He also wrote several books advising common people on how to improve themselves. These range from titles such as Self and Self-Management, Mental Efficiency, to guides on developing literary taste (Literary Taste: How to Form It ) and how to change one's life-style in such a way that the emerging class of white-collar workers might make more of life.The most well-known, and still read, of these is How to Live on 24 Hours a Day (1910). This short work may be so popular still because it is so recognizable and so practical. Everyone wastes time doing nothing, which could in a very simple manner be turned into time well spent. By getting up a bit earlier, and systematically devoting increasing amounts of time, up to an hour and a half each evening to reading Great Literature, rather than the newspaper, improve self-discipline, reflect on life and on the Great Literature one has read, and develop an interest in art, etc, anyone can improve and rise above themselves.Less well known, but written in the same vein is The plain man and his wife, written in 1913. Unfortunately, this work is much less accessible than How to Live on 24 Hours a Day.The plain man and his wife consists of four parts which may reluctantly be called chapters. Rather, the first two and the last two parts seem to belong together, while all apparently deal with the question how man is to make more of life.The first two parts describe how "everyman" in a sense is a plain man, who craves to make the most of life, wanting to get more out of it. The main tenet is that modern man has no time, is preoccupied with work and cannot make the most of life and find pleasure. The main advice is to take a hobby: any hobby, which gives you pleasure.The plain man and his wife is written throughout using the third person singular (usually he), which makes the book of little personal interest. The tone is jocular and cold, wry. Chapter 3 is a kind of allegory, describing the lives of two plain men with very different tempers, Mr Alpha and Mr Omega, and Chapter 4 describes the life of the plain man and his wife, Mr and Mrs Omicron. The tone and style of this little book are distanced, and the book is much less readable as a result.

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    The Plain Man and His Wife - Arnold Bennett

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