Enoch Soames

Synopsis

"Enoch Soames" is the title of a short story by the British writer Max Beerbohm. Enoch Soames is also the name of the main character. The piece was originally published in the May 1916 edition of The Century Magazine, and was later included in Beerbohm's anthology Seven Men (1919). It is a comic tragedy, involving elements of both fantasy and science fiction, well known for its clever and humorous use of the concepts of time travel and pacts with the Devil. The author uses a complex combination of fact and fiction to create a sense of realism. Although Enoch Soames is a fictional character, Beerbohm includes himself in the story, which he also narrates; and writes it as the reminiscences of a series of actual events that he witnessed and participated in as a younger man. The work also contains a written portrait of the real-life artist William Rothenstein, as well as countless references to contemporary-to-1897 events and places. In addition, Rothenstein actually drew the "portrait" of Soames that is mentioned in the text; although the work was probably created closer to the date of publication than to the 1895 date given in the story. Beerbohm himself also drew a cartoon-sketch of Soames, and the two pictures are recognisably of the same "person".

Text license: CC BY-SA 4.0 · Source

Details

Type

Book

Release date

January 1, 1916

Created by

Max Beerbohm