• Dr H K Jha

W. Somerset Maugham’s debut novel Liza of Lambeth holds a mirror to the poverty laden slum life of London in the late nineteenth century. This paper attempts to explore how Liza Kemp, an eighteen year old lively young woman living in the Vere Street, was seduced by a middle aged man, and as a result, had to face the horrible consequences. The paper also throws light on the poverty, squalor and violence ridden slum life in the late Victorian society. The paper tries to examine the concept of bigamy and adultery with reference to Maugham’s novel Liza of Lambeth. The significance of the cockney speech used in the narrative has also been analysed to see how the sub-dialect has been effectively used to add a touch of vitality and realism to the characters.

debut, slum life, bigamy, adultery, seduced, cockney dialect, Victorian society

"W. Somerset Maugham’s Liza of Lambeth : A Social Document of the Late Victorian England", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 5, page no.654-657, May-2019, Available :http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1905D92.pdf

"W. Somerset Maugham’s Liza of Lambeth : A Social Document of the Late Victorian England", International Journal of Emerging Technologies and Innovative Research (www.jetir.org | UGC and issn Approved), ISSN:2349-5162, Vol.6, Issue 5, page no. pp654-657, May-2019, Available at : http://www.jetir.org/papers/JETIR1905D92.pdf