What is the author's style in Cakes and Ale: Or the Skeleton in the Cupboard by W. Somerset Maugham?

Cakes and Ale is written by a great wordsmith about wordsmiths. Predictably, the vocabulary is rich and literary allusions plentiful. Introducing Alroy (Roy) Kear, W. Somerset Maugham's alter ego, William Ashenden, himself an author not currently in vogue, begins talking about writers. Roy caters to popular tastes. While Roy holds Edward (Ted) Driffield to be the last great Victorian novelist, William has always found him boring, despite having known him personally.