History Literature / OfHumanBondage

* ChristmasCake: Ms. Wilkinson appears to be attractive enough to be at first, until Philip regrettably gets to see her up close...

* HardTruthAesop: Philip's (and Fanny Price's) attempt to become an artist carries this message: if you don't have talent, you'll never be a good artist, no matter how hard you try.

%%* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Fanny Price]]

* HardTruthAesop: The message of Philip's attempt to become an artist: some people, no matter how hard they try, will never be able to make their dream come true, and they should accept this and give up.

* VictorianNovelDisease: Here it is dramatically averted. Mildred dies of syphilis in the book and tuberculosis in the film. Bette Davis also designed her own make-up so Mildred would look like someone dying of an illness as opposed to "a deb who'd missed her afternoon nap".

''Of Human Bondage'' is a 1915 novel, a Classic {{bildungsroman}} by Creator/WSomersetMaugham. Half autobiographical and half-fiction, it was ranked #66 on the list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. There are three different film adaptations, one in 1934, 1946, and 1964.

* {{Bildungsroman}}

* DrivenToSuicide: [[spoiler:Fanny Price]]
* TheEdwardianEra

* {{Hypocrite}}: Philip's uncle
* LoveMartyr: Philip is a famous example.
* MrsRobinson: Ms. Wilkinson
* StarvingArtist: Most all of the characters at some point, in various degrees; Fanny Price is the worst case, and [[spoiler:starves enough to commit suicide]]
* UnrequitedLove: Most couples in the book have this in some sense.
* VictorianNovelDisease: Several cases.

Of the three film adaptations, the most famous is the 1934 film starring Leslie Howard (Ashley in ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'') and Creator/BetteDavis in her StarMakingRole as Mildred. Davis had to badger Warner Brothers, which had groomed her to be a sexpot CaptainErsatz of Creator/JeanHarlow, to loan her to RKO so she could play the part. It made her a huge star. It also created the first AwardSnub controversy, when Davis, whom many people thought would win the Best Actress award, wasn't even nominated. The Academy then announced that write-in candidates would be allowed. Davis finished third in the balloting, as Creator/ClaudetteColbert won for ''Film/ItHappenedOneNight.''

* BlondesAreEvil: In contrast to Nora and Maria, Mildred is blonde-haired and a manipulative schemer.

!!!Tropes related to the novel:

* OohMeAccentsSlipping: Davis struggles with a Cockney accent.

* VictorianNovelDisease: Here it is dramatically averted. Davis wanted Mildred to look like someone who was really dying of TB. The last shot of a severely ill Mildred slumped beside her bed is shocking.

Of the three film adaptations, the most famous is the 1934 film starring Leslie Howard (Ashley in ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'') and Creator/BetteDavis in her StarMakingRole as Mildred. Davis had to badger Warner Brothers, which had groomed her to be a sexpot CaptainErsatz of Creator/JeanHarlow, to loan her to RKO so she could play the part. It made her a huge star. It also created the first AwardSnub controversy, when Davis, whom many people thought would win the Best Actress award, wasn't even nominated. The Academy then announced that write-in candidates would be allowed. Davis finished third in the balloting, as Claudette Colbert won for ''Film/ItHappenedOneNight.''

Of the three film adaptations, the most famous is the 1934 film starring Leslie Howard (Ashley in ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'') and Creator/BetteDavis in her StarMakingRole as Mildred. Davis had to badger Warner Brothers, which had groomed her to be a sexpot CaptainErsatz of Creator/JeanHarlow, to loan her to RKO so she could play the part. It made her a huge star. It also created the first UsefulNotes/AcademyAward controversy, when Davis, whom many people thought would win the Best Actress award, wasn't even nominated. The Academy then announced that write-in candidates would be allowed. Davis finished third in the balloting, as Claudette Colbert won for ''Film/ItHappenedOneNight.''

* AwardSnub: Bette Davis was deliberately kept from being nominated by Jack Warner, as the film wasn't for his studio where she had her contract. The following year, the Academy hired the accounting firm Price Waterhouse to oversee the voting process to prevent something like this from happening again; Price Waterhouse (and its successor, [=PricewaterhouseCoopers=]) has overseen the voting ever since.

* KubrickStare: Mildred [[http://thefilmexperience.net/storage/1930s/ofhuman-howstrangeur.jpg?__SQUARESPACE_CACHEVERSION=1392147663374 flashes one]] while at dinner with Phillip.

Of the three film adaptations, the most famous is the 1934 film starring Leslie Howard (Ashley in ''Film/GoneWithTheWind'') and Creator/BetteDavis in her StarMakingRole as Mildred. Davis had to badger Warner Brothers, which had groomed her to be a sexpot CaptainErsatz of Creator/JeanHarlow, to loan her to RKO so she could play the part. It made her a huge star. It also created the first AcademyAward controversy, when Davis, whom many people thought would win the Best Actress award, wasn't even nominated. The Academy then announced that write-in candidates would be allowed. Davis finished third in the balloting, as Claudette Colbert won for ''Film/ItHappenedOneNight.''

* AwardSnub: Bette Davis was deliberately kept from being nominated by Jack Warner, as the film wasn't for his studio where she had her contract. Ever since, the law firm Price-Waterhouse has overseen the voting process to prevent something like this from happening again.

Of Human Bondage is a 1915 novel, a Classic {{bildungsroman}} by Creator/WSomersetMaugham. Half autobiographical and half-fiction, it was ranked #66 on the list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. There are three different film adaptations, one in 1934, 1946, and 1964.

* HaveAGayOldTime: As ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'' mentioned, there's no actual bondage in it.

Of Human Bondage is a 1915 novel, a Classic {{bildungsroman}} by W. Somerset Maugham. Half autobiographical and half-fiction, it was ranked #66 on the list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. There are three different film adaptations, one in 1934, 1946, and 1964.