The Painted Veil

W. Somerset Maugham 

2018.6/29

Information

Author W. Somerset Maugham    

Country United Kingdom    

Publisher Heinemann (UK)

Publication date 1925    

Summary

Kitty Fane is a beautiful, vain, upper-class British woman unhappily married to Walter Fane, a bacteriologist working in Hong Kong. She married Walter because her younger sister Doris was about to be married, and Kitty don’t want to be single at her little sister's wedding.

Kitty is conducting an affair with Charles Townsend, the Assistant Colonial Secretary. Walter knows this and gives Kitty an ultimatum. She will accompany him on his expedition to fight a cholera epidemic in Mei-tan-fu, or he will bring her to court for her infidelity. Kitty is horrified, and certain that the cholera epidemic will mean her death. At the same time Charles refuses to divorce his wife, and Kitty, heartbroken, agrees to go with Walter to Mei-tan-fu.

The cholera epidemic in the city is severe, and scenes of death are all around. Kitty begins to assist the nuns with their work, caring for orphans. Kitty's work at the convent changes her personality. She sees her former acts of selfishness and attempts to make amends for them, apologizing to Walter for her affair. The situation is complicated further when she realizes she is pregnant.

Walter dies of cholera, but not before Kitty offers a final apology. Not long after, she heads back to Hong Kong. At last, Kitty plans to raise her unborn daughter as a strong, independent woman.

Quotes

“I had no illusions about you,' he said. 'I knew you were silly and frivolous and empty-headed. But I loved you. I knew that your aims and ideals were vulgar and commonplace. But I loved you. I knew that you were second-rate. But I loved you. It's comic when I think how hard I tried to be amused by the things that amused you and how anxious I was to hide from you that I wasn't ignorant and vulgar and scandal-mongering and stupid. I knew how frightened you were of intelligence and I did everything I could to make you think me as big a fool as the rest of the men you knew. I knew that you'd only married me for convenience. I loved you so much, I didn't care. Most people, as far as I can see, when they're in love with someone and the love isn't returned feel that they have a grievance. They grow angry and bitter. I wasn't like that. I never expected you to love me, I didn't see any reason that you should. I never thought myself very lovable. I was thankful to be allowed to love you and I was enraptured when now and then I thought you were pleased with me or when I noticed in your eyes a gleam of good-humored affection. I tried not to bore you with my love; I knew I couldn't afford to do that and I was always on the lookout for the first sign that you were impatient with my affection. What most husbands expect as a right I was prepared to receive as a favor.” 

“我对你根本没抱幻想。”他说道，“我知道你愚蠢、轻佻、头脑空虚，然而我爱你。我知道你的企图、你的理想，你势利、庸俗，然而我爱你。我知道你是个二流货色，然而我爱你。为了欣赏你所热衷的那些玩意我竭尽全力，为了向你展示我并非不是无知、庸俗、闲言碎语、愚蠢至极，我煞费苦心。我知道智慧将会令你大惊失色，所以处处谨小慎微，务必表现得和你交往的任何男人一样像个傻瓜。我知道你仅仅为了一己之私跟我结婚。我爱你如此之深，这我毫不在意。据我所知，人们在爱上一个人却得不到回报时，往往感到伤心失望，继而变成愤怒和尖刻。我不是那样。我从未奢望你来爱我，我从未设想你会有理由爱我，我也从未认为我自己惹人爱慕。对我来说能被赐予机会爱你就应心怀感激了。”

Film

虽然很久没有更新了但是不要取关啊！！！！