W. Somerset Maugham «The Painted Veil»

W. Somerset Maugham was, in his short stories and novels, one of the master chroniclers of the late days of the British Empire. His vast experience as traveller, spy and diplomat fuelled his fiction. In this novel, Kitty, a fun-loving young woman, enters a marriage of convenience with a middle-class doctor she does not love. The couple move to Hong Kong, where Kitty promptly has an affair. Her vengeful husband forces her to accompany him to a remote Chinese region where he fights a cholera epidemic. Kitty undergoes a profound personal transformation which gives new meaning to her marriage. But is it too late? Participants are requested to read parts of the text at home as preparation for the discussion in class. At the end of the course, we shall watch the excellent movie version.Level C1.