摘 要

《面纱》是英国作家威廉·萨默塞特·毛姆创作的一部反映女性精神觉醒的经典之作，同时也是其最具争议的一部作品。小说讲述了女主人公凯蒂与其丈夫瓦尔特经历的一系列情感波折。凯蒂不甘寂寞发生了婚外恋情,瓦尔特为了惩罚她,将她带到了瘟疫肆虐的中国乡村。在那里瓦尔特最终选择用自己的身体做试验而走向了死亡;凯蒂则在恶劣的环境中逐渐成长,踏上了不悔的精神成长之路。

《面纱》以其悲天悯人的情感关照，以其对道德冲突的敏感解析，以其对人性的尖锐反讽，以其对人类欲望、恐惧和悔恨等内在世界的准确建构，而成为一部艺术的杰作。本文旨在从女性主义视角，分别从家庭、社会层面分析主人公女性意识觉醒的过程。

关键词：《面纱》；觉醒；独立；女性意识

Contents

1. Introduction................................................................................................................1

2. Demonstration............................................................................................................2

2.1 Kitty’s lack of feminist awareness.........................................................................2

2.1.1 Kitty’s compliance with her mother....................................................................3

2.1.2 Kitty’s dependence on her husband...................................................................4

2.1.3 Kitty’s blind faith in her lover...............................................................................5

2.2. The Awakening of Kitty’s feminist consciousness.............................................6

2.2.1 The Awakening of Kitty’s feminist consciousness in family...........................6

2.2.2 The Awakening of Kitty’s feminist consciousness in marriage.........................7

2.2.3. The Awakening of Kitty’s feminist consciousness in life value………………8

3. Conclusion.................................................................................................8

Works Cited..............................................................................................................11

Bibliography.................................................................................................................12

An Analysis of Kitty’s Awakening of Feminist Consciousness in

The Painted Veil

1. Introduction

William Somerset Maugham (January 25, 1874 – December 15, 1965) was a famous English author, novelist and playwright. Many of his stories are about human weaknesses. He was considered to be one of the best short story writers in English language. His reputation as a novelist is primarily based on these books: Of Human Bondage (1915), The Moon and Sixpences (1919), Cakes and Ale (1930) and The Razor’s Edge (1944). In 1919, Maugham travelled in China for four months, during which he went to Hong Kong, heard of a story, based on which he wrote The Painted Veil. An American biographer Ted Morgan once made comments on Maugham in his book that:

Maugham is the sum of all of the following: a solitary child, a medical student, a creative writer, a prodigal son, a successful London dramatist, a celebrity in Britain, a front-line ambulance driver, a gay with a wife and husband, a World War II propaganda and a stubborn old man. (Morgan 34)

We can learn that Maugham is a man who is of multiple roles and characters from the evaluation above. It is his rich experiences that make his works lively and profound. Maugham is a very fierce and cruel writer. Throughout his short stories, although he witnessed the misery of people in real life, he still adhered to the objective and calm attitude in his writing. Some people think that Maugham’s novels have gone beyond the identification of good and evil, beauty and ugliness, but most of his works are just for the specific description of injustice in social phenomenon, especially the relentless criticism of the evil side of humanity and the emphasis on the complexity of social conflicts, which is represented by The Painted Veil.