A. V. Laider

n the essay Beerbohm presents A.V. Laider as a poet with a rather mundane and unremarkable life. Laider is portrayed as a poet who lacks the romanticized image that many people associate with literary figures. Instead he is depicted as a regular individual who attends tea parties worries about his health and experiences the ordinary challenges of life. Through his humorous and satirical style Beerbohm plays with the contrast between the romanticized expectations of poets and the banal reality of their lives. He gently pokes fun at the tendency to idealize and mythologize literary figures suggesting that they are in fact ordinary people. Max Beerbohm''s essays are known for their wit and clever observations of human behavior and society. A.V. Laider is a prime example of his talent for humor and satire as he takes a common theme in literature—the poet—and turns it into a humorous exploration of the everyday. While A.V. Laider is a fictional character Beerbohm''s essay serves as a commentary on the public''s perception of poets and artists highlighting the contrast between the romanticized image of the creative genius and the realities of everyday life.