THE PAINTED VEIL, A NOVEL BY W.SOMERSET MAUGHAM (BOOK REVIEW)
Hello, dear readers! In this post, I'll review The Painted Veil , a novel by British writer William Somerset Maugham. Published in 1925, this novel was initially considered controversial because of its frank portrayal of martial infidelity. However, I think the implication of diplomatic corruption and the critique of British class system had something to do with it as well. Perhaps it hit a bit too close too home for the 1920th society, and for some especially so. The author faced a lawsuit and had to change the surnames of its protagonist, something that he talks about in the Preface . Moreover, Maugham had to replace Hong Kong with an imaginary name Tching-Yen, thought, this imaginary name was not used in later editions. We don't know whether Maugham was inspired by any particular couple when writing this story, but we do know that he draw from his work experience as a doctor and his dabbling in science. This novel, whose title is a direct reference to Shelley's famous