▁It ' s ▁because ▁I ▁know ▁it ▁that ▁I ▁have ▁end ured ▁such ▁suffer ings . ▁To ▁have ▁done ▁otherwise ▁I ▁would ▁consider ▁myself ▁a ▁brig and ▁-- ▁which ▁is ▁what ▁many ▁people ▁think ▁I ▁am ." ▁Dick son ▁sums ▁up ▁the ▁novel ▁as ▁follows : ▁" M aug ham ▁was ▁fasc in ated ▁by ▁the ▁impact ▁of ▁the ▁arrival ▁of ▁modern ism ▁from ▁Europe ▁on ▁an ▁ins ular ▁British ▁conscious ness ▁and ▁the ▁emer gence ▁of ▁the ▁cult ▁of ▁the ▁modern ist ▁artist - gen ius ▁-- ▁The ▁Moon ▁and ▁Six p ence ▁is ▁at ▁once ▁a ▁sat ire ▁of ▁Edward ian ▁m ores ▁and ▁a ▁G au gu in ▁bi ography ." ▁ ▁About ▁the ▁title ▁According ▁to ▁some ▁sources , ▁the ▁title , ▁the ▁meaning ▁of ▁which ▁is ▁not ▁explicitly ▁revealed ▁in ▁the ▁book , ▁was ▁taken ▁from ▁a ▁review ▁of ▁M aug ham ' s ▁novel ▁Of ▁Human ▁Bond age ▁in ▁which ▁the ▁novel ' s ▁protagon ist , ▁Philip ▁Care y , ▁is ▁described ▁as ▁" so ▁busy ▁year ning ▁for ▁the ▁moon ▁that ▁he ▁never ▁saw ▁the ▁six p ence ▁at ▁his ▁feet ." ▁According ▁to ▁a ▁ 1 9 5 6 ▁letter ▁from ▁M aug ham , ▁" If ▁you ▁look ▁on ▁the ▁ground ▁in ▁search ▁of ▁a ▁six p ence , ▁you ▁don ' t ▁look ▁up , ▁and ▁so ▁miss ▁the ▁moon ." ▁M aug ham ' s ▁title ▁echo es ▁the ▁description ▁of ▁G au gu in ▁by ▁his ▁contemporary ▁bi ograph er