91 pages • 3 hours read
W. Somerset MaughamThe Painted Veil
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 1925A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Further Reading & Resources
Further Reading: Literature
"Lift Not the Painted Veil” by Percy Bysshe Shelley (1824)
This sonnet by the British Romantic poet Shelley inspired the title of Maugham’s novel. Both the novel and the sonnet convey the idea that life is a painted veil of illusions but that a quest to strip away those illusions is difficult.
Further Reading: Beyond Literature (Nonfiction)
“Maugham’s the word: Why Somerset is set for a comeback” by Tania Kindersley (2007)
This article looks at the reasons for Maugham’s changing reputation amongst British readers. It examines the qualities that made him seem outdated in the latter half of the 20th century.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain (2012)
While this book is intended as a self-help manual for introverts, the introduction explains the early 20th-century shift from a culture of character to one of personality. As The Painted Veil is set in the 1920s, Cain’s findings illuminate Kitty’s preference for extroverted, charismatic Townsend over dour and conscientious Walter.
“Reread: The Painted Veil by W. Somerset Maugham review—Unhappily married? Read this book” by Jessa Crispin (2022)
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