La visión femenina de una vida auténtica en la novela El velo pintado de W. Somerset Maugham
A poem by Shelley gives the title to William Somerset Maugham's novel The Painted Veil, published in 1925. The moral of the poem is very pessimistic: the veil of life should not be lifted, because underneath there is no truth. As this article proves, this negative vision coincides only partiall...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | Spanish |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Taylor & Francis
[2019]
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| In: |
Church, Communication and Culture
Year: 2019, Volume: 4, Issue: 2, Pages: 216-234 |
| IxTheo Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality CG Christianity and Politics FD Contextual theology NAA Systematic theology NBK Soteriology |
| Further subjects: | B
anguish
B Femininity B Kierkegaard B Redemption B Somerset B Existentialism |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) |
| Summary: | A poem by Shelley gives the title to William Somerset Maugham's novel The Painted Veil, published in 1925. The moral of the poem is very pessimistic: the veil of life should not be lifted, because underneath there is no truth. As this article proves, this negative vision coincides only partially with the novel. In fact, Kitty Garstin, the heroine, raises the veil over her life and discovers the true face of it: something deceptive and superficial. In other words, Kitty realizes that until then she had not made any decision on her own. On the other hand, by discovering her false life, Kitty is able to first glimpse a new existence. In this sense we can consider this novel as a descent into the depths of the human heart, crushed under layers of social stereotypes, personal prejudices and, in general, hypocrisy. Therefore, the structure of this essay follows a triple hermeneutic operation: showing the veil; unveiling the hidden reality; and revealing the possibility of a new feminine existence which does not try to imitate male values but to discover those that are truly women's. El título de la novela de William Somerset Maugham (The Painted Veil, [1925]) está tomado de un poema de Shelley. Pero, mientras que la moraleja del poema es muy pesimista—el velo de la vida no debe levantarse porque debajo no hay verdad alguna—la tesis de la novela es más esperanzadora. De hecho, Kitty Garstin, la heroína, levanta el velo y descubre el verdadero rostro de su vida: engañoso y superficial. En otras palabras, Kitty se da cuenta de que hasta ese momento no ha tomado ninguna decisión por sí misma. Por otro lado, al descubrir la falsedad en que ha vivido, es capaz de vislumbrar una nueva existencia. En este sentido, la novela puede ser considerada como un descenso a las profundidades del corazón humano, bajo capas de estereotipos sociales, prejuicios personales y, en general, hipocresía. La estructura de este ensayo sigue, por eso, una triple operación hermenéutica: mostrar el velo; desvelar la realidad oculta, y revelar a la protagonista la posibilidad de una nueva existencia, que, en lugar de imitar los valores masculinos, se base en los que son auténticamente femeninos. |
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| ISSN: | 2375-3242 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Church, Communication and Culture
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/23753234.2019.1616576 |