The Collected Works of Maxwell House

by Maxwell House

This book collects eleven works of the author Maxwell House, which range across fiction, poetry and plays, previously unavailable in print form. These works The Banana (2001), an absurdist play that grapples with existential themes.2. Consumed (2002), an experimental piece about seven characters on a train who feel trapped by modernity.3. The Rain that Falls (2002), a sonnet sequence about a romantic relationship.4. The Problem with David Hawkins (2003), a novella about a young man who hates both individuality and conformism, and who plots to rise up the social hierarchy of his school.5. A Falling Soul (2004), an epic poem in which the speaker goes on a quest to find the meaning of life.6. Freedom (2005), an abstract play about the problem of freedom and determinism.7. Decay (2006), a dark screenplay about a doctoral student at Oxford who has been reading for his PhD since 1982.8. The Plan (2006), a play about two sets of couples in which the men hatch a scheme to gain the upper hand in their relationships which is discovered by the women who develop a counterplan.9. Consumed [Radio-play Version] (2006), a full reworking of Consumed as an unsettling radio play.10. The Snow that Falls (2006), a sonnet sequence in which the speaker of previous sequence, The Rain that Falls, has become bitter and disillusioned with the relationship.11. Dystopian Fiction (2019), a short story about a future society in which men have been eliminated and Womankind is confined to live in restrictive Home units and eating nothing but Consume in order to serve the Cause.Although House ranges across many different themes, genres and styles, a strong kernel running through all his works concerns power, dynamics of domination and submission, as well as the question of freedom. Characters often feel trapped by society and smothered by other people to the point of exhaustion. Meanwhile other characters seek to dominate others with disturbing and sadistic zeal. These works confront human nature head on; even in the face of existential despair, spiritual emptiness and unspeakable evil the do not flinch or look away.

555 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 22, 2021