Both maughams parents died before he was 10, and the orphaned boy was raised by a paternal uncle who was emotionally cold. She is surprised to learn from the mother superior that her husband loves children, and in this setting she begins to see him in a new light as she learns what a selfless and caring person he can be. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highest paid author during the 1930s. The nature of love is one of the primary themes of the novel. When i saw the painted veil on sale at, i thought it would be a nice change of pace. First published to a storm of protest, the painted veil is a classic story of a womans spiritual awakening. The painted veil is not a fastpaced and bubbly romance. Since its themes of love, pain, and forgiveness are universal, viewers can relate, at some level or another, to the internal struggles of kitty and walter. The nun allows kitty to assist in caring for the older children at the convent. Persepolis the story of a childhood literature essay samples. The main topic of this text is the veil in north african and middleeastern regions. According to his words, it was the first time he started writing from a story. Somerset maugham im pretty sure i have never read a book so depressing and yet so interesting as this book. The painted veil soundtrack d kittys theme youtube.
A sort of reds with cholera in the far east swapped for the russian revolution and a whole lot more bitterness and resentment between its central couple, the painted veil is more or less from the school of motion picture that pauline kael used to say reeks of quality. Somerset maugham was one of the twentieth centurys most popular novelists as well as a celebrated playwright, critic, and short story writer. When charles heartlessly abandons her, she accepts walters demand to follow him into the cholera epidemic in mainland china. Kitty enjoys her work at the convent and quickly bond with the children there all save one, a hydrocephalic child who appears to suffer from mental retardation. Supersummary, a modern alternative to sparknotes and cliffsnotes, offers highquality study guides that feature detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, quotes, and essay topics. Around the world in 80 books share book recommendations. I just ordered the book from bookdepository and i look forward to immersing myself in its. The painted veil is a compelling tale of lust and redemption, a story that begins sordidly and ends profoundly and one that is rich in reality, compassion, and hope. At first i was hesitant when i found out that the painted veil was a story set in hong kong and about british people instead of chinese people. Beautifully written and entertainingly read, it it is well worth listening to more than once. The painted veil william somerset maugham my book affair. He was among the most popular writers of his era and reputedly the highestpaid author during the 1930s. The painted veil william somerset maugham this is a book to get lost in, not just in the usual way of books, but in a way that is haunting and will have you musing for days and days, long after you have turned the final page. Painted veil is a novel written by somerset maugham, and the intriguing title was taken from the sonnet by shelly.
How can such a book be representative of a huge country like china. The movie came out in 2006 with naomi watts and edward norton starring. She is conducting an affair with charles townsend, the assistant colonial secretary, and the two are in her room when the knobs to her door mysteriously turn from. Her path of growth and development changes direction at a single moment, and she begins to grow up into a young adult with her own views and opinions. There are many changes, but both the book and the film are exquisite works in themselves. The painted veil is set in england and china, taking place in the 1920s. The painted veil is a beautifully written affirmation of the human capacity to grow, to change, and to forgive. Somerset maughams the painted veil begins slowly and patiently, with leisurely flashbacks that elliptically bring us to a singularly absurd predicament. This movie is one of my favourites, its so beautifully tragic. Both leslie and roy had six children between them from previous marriages. Somerset maughams classic the painted veil, the first thought that came into my head after finishing the book is that this is a masterpiece that absolutely deserves nothing less than 5 stars. Edward norton, naomi watts, toby jones, anthony wong chau sang and liev schreiber appear in the leading roles. Kitty fane is a beautiful, vain, upperclass british woman unhappily married to walter fane, a bacteriologist working in hong kong. Kitty fane is a beautiful young woman whose mother has raised her to make a suitable match.
It focuses on a young debutante named kitty garstin, who, after rejecting dozens of marriage proposals, finds herself marrying an eccentric doctor named walter fane. This is a story about love with the heroine, kitty garstin, sacrificing her life with death risk caused by cholera in the deep forest of china, trying to dig her heart to be given to her husband. Now, a new biopic on hemingway is set to be released, focusing on the authors cuba years, directed by bob yari, the film producer behind films such as somerset maughams the painted veil 2006, now in his directorial debut. Meitanfu is a chinese province that is afflicted with a cholera epidemic that has claimed the lives of a. Somerset maugham 5,416 views 0 william somerset maugham was a british playwright, novelist and short story writer. The girls donned floorlength gowns in a deep shade of plum, while the guys sported classic black suits with ties in the same hue as the girls. In the film, the child of kitty and walter is a boy, while in novel, it is a girl. At the beginning, kitty does not love her husband walter, but is instead enamored with the dashing politician charles townsend. Though on a somewhat smaller scale, john currans melodrama takes w. Im quite stingy when it comes to rating books and normally would not give more than 4 stars, even for a book i thoroughly enjoyed. The novel was first published in serialised form in five issues of cosmopolitan november 1924 march 1925.
In his preface to the novel maugham wrote, that he had felt a desire to use the story as an inspiration, but rewrote it and made a more modern version of it. It is kittys love for her unborn child that pushes her to become a better person. Beautiful scenery and costumes, a cast of thousands, and enough background information to make you feel you are more educated about a time and place than you were before you saw the movie. But john currans version is both lush and intimate, a showcase for subtle performances in which china becomes an exotic backdrop for white folks troubles. Once she overcomes her revulsion at the place and the children, she finds great fulfillment. We rented it based upon the trailer, and we weren\t disappointed.
The symbol of plastic key painted gold in persepolis from. Persepolis is a bildungsroman that tells the story of marji, a young iranian girl growing up during a time of revolution, turmoil, and war. The painted veil has all of the elements a viewer looks for in a period piece set during the time of british colonial rule. Middleeastern and north african clothing culture is distinguished from other cultures by the veil, a clothing that provokes many reactions from authors and debates between the western and eastern people. Somerset maugham, which was first serialized in cosmopolitan and nashs magazine. First published in 1925, the painted veil is an affirmation of the human. I have just read one of the somerset maughams novels under the title of the painted veil, which he wrote in 1925. The memoir follows its protagonist, marjane, from childhood to young adulthood, and as such it traces the effects of war and politics on her psyche and development.
The painted veil is a 2006 chineseamerican drama film directed by john curran. The painted veil by william somerset maugham download. Under a soft rain, scene from the painted veil by curran, 2006 the painted veil. Exquisitely layered, haunting, and clever period romance, 14 january 2007 author. The biopic is the first major hollywood movie to be filmed on the island of cuba in fifty years, due to political. Having read the original novel by somerset maugham, a stark yet moving tale of a young womans reevaluation of her life and values, the movie was a slightly more romaniticized version of the novel. Nasrine, however, sees the key, which being plastic is actually nothing more than a trinket, as propaganda and. Somerset maugham this study guide consists of approximately 34 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the painted veil. Analysis project of a look behind the veil thesis statement.
And so we come to one of the main themes of this novel. Norton says he wanted to lift the veil on issues facing china in the 1920s. The lifted veil concerns themes of fate, extrasensory perception, the mystery of life and life after death. Eliots interest in these themes stemmed partly from her own struggles with religious faith, as she was an extremely devout christian as a child and young adult who later renounced christianity completely. This study guide consists of approximately 34 pages of chapter summaries, quotes, character analysis, themes, and more everything you need to sharpen your knowledge of the painted veil. It reads the painted veil very quickly, but still you have time to feel the atmosphere. Maugham genuinely draws the reader into the book, not giving the opportunity, for. The painted veil is a 1925 novel by british author w. When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to a remote region of china ravaged by a cholera epidemic. Buy the painted veil book online at low prices in india the. His innate empathy and ability to get strangers to reveal intimate stories suggest that he had many qualities that would have made him a first class general practitioner or psychiatrist. The plastic key painted gold is a beautiful object from the outside. River waltz and gnossienne theme playing while reading the book ah. The author touches on the themes of taoism and eastern spiritualism that are given more attention in the razors edge, and he demonstrates delicate legerdemain when it comes to capturing both the charm and the squalor of the human condition, but with its largely expected denouement, the painted veil proves to be nothing more than a charming and.
Set in england and hong kong in the 1920s, the painted veil is. Set in england and hong kong in the 1920s, the painted veil is the story of the beautiful but lovestarved kitty fane. As it was his training was not wasted as there are medical themes running through many of his stories. It had been a long time since i read one of the classics. When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic. This onepage guide includes a plot summary and brief analysis of the painted veil by w. Sumptuous and moody, the soundtrack to the movie, the painted veil, is one that i have enjoyed listening to over and over again. The title is taken from percy bysshe shelleys sonnet, which begins lift not the painted veil which those who live call life. Rather, as this slowburning, oftentimes bitter romance unfolds, it takes patience but is ultimately rewarding. The painted veil study guide contains a biography of w. The painted veil with edward norton and naomi watts. Somerset maugham, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Kitty begins work at the convent helping the younger orphans learn to sew. It is a morality tale of astonishing depth and humanity.
Schleicher from new jersey, usa john currans nearly pitch perfect film adaptation of w. The image measures 4288 2848 pixels and was added on 1 january romanticrevolution. Litcharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in persepolis, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. The painted veil was an excellent introduction to somerset. It is unusual because it tells a story about a married couple who never really share the same love for each other. The couple decided to have only their children as members of their wedding party, making the day a true family affair and highlighting the coming together of the two families. Lifting the veils in william somerset maughams the. The painted veil is the sort of moviestar vehicle that usually provides for outsized, capital a acting. This may be done as a conscious allusion to the themes of the older work or simply because the phrase seems memorable. While the chinese characters remain mostly anonymous, either children or suffering disease victims, kitty and walters exclusive. The painted veil symbols, allegory and motifs gradesaver.
List of book titles taken from literature wikipedia. Books audio book month 28, the tuesday alternative 8, theme. We don\t get out much, so perhaps it\s no surprise that neither peter nor i had heard of the painted veil. In a wild attempt to free herself form her overbearing, condescending mother. Analysis on behind the veil by dhul nun ayyoub essay. The screenplay by ron nyswaner is based on the 1925 novel of the same title by w.
The following is a partial list of book titles taken from literature. Obviously then, i wasted no time in buying somerset maughams the painted veil to see how differently the filmmakers had interpreted the story. Somerset maugham may 21, 2010 by rebecca reid although i strongly disliked the painted veil upon finishing it, after discussing it via email with a fellow blogger thanks again, amanda. Most probably know of this book due to the 2006 adaptation of it starring naomi watts and edward norton ive seen parts of the movie, so i knew the basic plot, but not the details. There are many ideas and problems raised by this wonderful piece of art but still the majority of most impressive scenes are shut in china. From the prolific british writer, author of the painted veil, cakes and ale, of human bondage, the moon and sixpence by william somerset maugham. Somerset maugham, the painted veil is a love story set in the 1920s that tells the story of a young english couple, walter, a middle class doctor and kitty, an.
1278 522 1321 1001 507 414 724 746 1484 441 579 146 855 955 307 782 904 604 1036 1185 1248 164 219 1459 290 590 1031 299 1047 537 273