The+Painted+Veil



The Painted Veil **Examination Questions**

1. Speak about W. Somerset Maugham, the author of the novel **//The Painted Veil//**. 2. Speak about the setting of **//The Painted Veil//** (the time, place and milieu described in the novel). 3. What was Kitty’s social background ? In what way was she brought up? To what extent is she the product of her environment? 4. What stages does Kitty’s spiritual evolution pass? Why does it go hand in hand with her estimation of Townsend and adultery, and her self-estimation? 5. Sum up Walter’s life. Dwell on the role Kitty played in it and the role she might have played. 6. Why had Walter been unpopular in Hong Kong? Why was it different in Mei-Tan-fu? What was Kitty’s opinion of Walter ? How did it change? Why did Kitty not understand his last words? 7. Charles Townsend as Kitty and Walter saw him. What evolution did Kitty’s opinion of Townsend undergo? 8. Speak about the convent, the nuns and their work. What struck Kitty at the convent? What work was Kitty set to do there? What was Kitty’s attitude to it? 9. Give a character sketch of Waddington. Whom is he contrasted to in the novel? 10. Kitty’s life at the Townsends’? What made her recall Mei-tan-fu every now and then? Dwell on Kitty’s last talk with Townsend. 11. Compare Waddington’s version of the cause of Walter’s death with Kitty’s version. Which one was closer to the truth? 12. Is the clothing paragraph of the novel optimistic? How do you picture Kitty’s future? 13. Why was Kitty so interested in meeting the Manchu ? What was she looking for? Did the meeting help her to find it? How do you understand The title of the book? 14. What is the main idea of the novel **//The Painted Veil//**?

**Discussion on the Internet** @http://lucyvpelt.blogspot.com/2007/07/june-book-club-discussion-painted-veil.html