摘 要

在过去的一个世纪里，人们对于东西方文化的理解和观点主要是建立在有记录的作品中。这些文字记录了东方与西方社会文化间的共性和差异。其中，亚洲留给西方的印象极为深刻，无论是被比作天堂还是地狱，东方这片土地似乎都充斥着劳动力和汗水。而在记载中，西方人包括一些探险家在旅途中目睹了东方文化的独特，并写下了这个文化随着社会进步的变化过程，因此留下了很多的文字记录。他们同时也注意到东西方的联系，表现在文学上、艺术上、和一些其他类型的文化作品中，而毛姆是这类学者之一。本文以毛姆（Maugham）的三部经典游记作品，《在中国的屏风上》、《面纱》和《偏僻的角落》，探讨他在亚洲游历后所形成的对东方文化的印象，从这三部作品的共同角色--“医生”一职，探讨东方特有的治愈性，了解20世纪西方对于亚洲文化的思考。

关键词：东方；医生；治愈能力；《在中国的屏风上》；《面纱》；《偏僻的角落》

Abstract

Over the past century, it seemed that people's main points of east and west cultures were lying on the records and fantasies of the world in literary world. Many articles had recorded some typical distinctions between the orient and occident. And the Asian land was impressed either as a paradise or a hell for the rest world, full of working labors and bitter sweats. Among the records, westerners travelled and witnessed the differences in the east soil, including the explorers, and wrote down how did this part of the world have changed as time went on. These scholars drew attention to the demonstration of the connection with both east and west in literature, art, and some other types of cultural productions. Maugham was one of them. In this paper, we are going to review Maugham's three typical works, which are On a Chinese Screen, The Painted Veil，and The Narrow Corner, to discuss what images he presented on the east. Before we put the conclusion straight away, it is necessary to understand in what way the west thought about the east in the 20th century from a certain limited point of view: the healing power from the east, from the discussion of the repeated character-"the doctor", in other words what does it imply in Maugham's east travelling journals.

Key Words: east; healing power; the doctor; On a Chinese Screen; The Painted Veil; The Narrow Corner

Contents

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Research background 1

1.2 Research Purpose 2

1.3 Research Significance 5

2 Analysis of the Selected Works 7

2.1 Analysis of On a Chinese Screen 7

2.2 Analysis of The Painted Veil 8

2.3Analysis of The Narrow Corner 10

3 Common Grounds 12

3.1 The Character of Doctor 12

3.1.1 The Doctor in On a Chinese Screen 12

3.1.2 The Doctor in The Painted Veil 13

3.1.3 The Doctor in The Narrow Corner 14

3.2 The Eastern Healing Power 15

4 Comparative Analysis 18

4.1 Similarities Between Maugham's and Others' works on the East 18

4.2 Distinctions Between Maugham's and Others' works on the East 20

5 Conclusion 22

References 23

Acknowledgements 25

Eastern cultures in Maugham's works: A case study of The Narrow Corner, The Painted Veil and On a Chinese Screen

1 Introduction

1.1 Research background  

William Somerset Maugham has been a successful British writer in the literary record. He was one of the most popular authors of the twentieth century. Among his prodigious literary works, including short stories, novels, travel records, plays, and essays as well as literary criticism, these contributions have been attracting a great number of readers and audiences by a wide international public so far. As we know, Maugham's major acclaim was a narrator, who told people his assessments and experiences both smoothly and breathtakingly, which had influenced the literary views on considerable issues(Said, 1995). However, it might seem that Maugham did not fix in the highest ranks of English literature, but few can question his success or popularity of drama and fantasies compared with the contemporaries from the certain period(1880-1920), which also functioned as a transitional time in English literature(Rogal, 1997). To review the world of Maugham and his astonishing experiences will allow us to witness a brief history of London stage during the first thirty years of the last century, observe the friendships and jealousies in the literary industry, and most importantly, grasp the strengths and weaknesses in some places such as China, India, Thailand, and Vietnam under the influence of British colonial system(Champeon, 2006).

Some criticized Maugham's indifference to the locals and his bigger attention on British employees rather than the local folks over multiple long journeys on Asian land. However, the fact was that Maugham was indeed fascinated not only by the remarkable adventures but also by the long-standing effect of these unusual environments on the people involved(Hastings, 2009). Therefore, it might sound not fair enough for this respectable writer on the ground of no effective conversations with natives(he could not speak Chinese and any other Asian languages). Furthermore, he interpreted what was happening with the coolest clinical eye that rested on his surroundings(Ding, 2019). 

Much of the particular beauty of Somerset Maugham as a traveler, is that he had his own arrangement and did not follow the typical rule in travel writings. His works have shown many funs he had on east land. So far many discussions on Maugham's perspectives on eastern culture are mainly based on the analysis of his book The Gentleman in the Parlor, but few are rooted in his other works. In reality, however, Maugham left a connection among his later books, which is viewed as the course of building his impression on the eastern culture. And these works are On a Chinese Screen, The Painted Veil, and The Narrow Corner. There is no doubt that Maugham was able to write about the colonial world in Asia, but he could also sympathize with the people over there. He brought readers unusually professional terms and concepts of Confucianism, of Buddhism, and of hedonism from what he experienced in-person recorded within those three books.

Inspired primarily by previous research on Maugham's literary works, it is a novel understanding to analyze the healing power from the east which is based on the discussion of the repeated character-"the doctor". Most scholars have focused on Maugham's novels as a historical brochure to understand the east part of the world in 20th century(Doran, 2016), and most critical work on his oeuvre has centered on Maugham's fiction analysis. Some major scientific-worthy topics are lying on gender trouble and imperial decay in Maugham's works(Doran, 2019). From these hard work, people could capture the interpretation of Maugham's travelogue in terms of its relationship to British imperialism, and the insights of postcolonial and feminist as well(Doran, 2019). But little research has produced some interesting findings of the east healing power and the typical character of the doctor in Maugham's works. It is the aim of this paper to draw attention to Maugham's perspectives on eastern culture, especially his attempt to interpreting east's healing meaning from a big picture.           

1.2 Research Purpose  

This paper aims to convey to the reader thinking on what and how did the west picture about the east in the 20th century from a certain limited point of view, which is based on the analysis and admiration of Somerset Maugham's works, On a Chinese Screen, The Painted Veil and The Narrow Corner. And then will discuss the east healing power respectively from Maugham's works and the character of doctor in these books.

The article begins with the backgrounds of Maugham's eastern traveling experiences, the places where he lived, and to which he journeyed, particularly the cities and villages that he inserted into his work as settings in the three books. His readers would have been interested in the writer's life story as an "enigma". In many ways, it is intriguing and puzzling exactly. Apart from Maugham's typical travel books, almost the narrators in other types of literary outputs are seemed like not on behalf of himself, however, few are questioning the writer's attempts to tell his comments between the lines in his works. While seeming to be kind, compassionate, and courteous, Maugham is also understood as cynical, aloof, forbidding, and malicious(Burt, 1970). Among his publications, Maugham used "I", the first-person narratives, the external narrators to stretch the stories. Never fixed as the central, but always well balancing the story-lines, characters' personalities, writer's comments, and successfully influencing Maugham's standing reputation in English literary records.      

Generally, Maugham presented many issues throughout his entire work, including the historical, cultural, social, and political spheres that governed his long life and work(Doran, 2002). Take his first travel in Asia as an example. Maugham's first extensive trip to China occurred during September-December 1919, which was fascinating territory for Maugham, a country that "gives you everything," as he was later to declare(Maugham, 1937). By then, the Manchu dynasty had been overthrown. Almost a perfect historical background of this journey. Later, Maugham visited further in 1922-1923 in Southeast land. Some scholars concluded that Maugham preferred to focus upon those Britons employed areas, various religious, political, and commercial positions(Hastings, 2009). Further, he planted some scenes and characters which gathered from this journey found their way into his works, On a Chinese Screen (1922), The Painted Veil (1925), The Narrow Corner (1932), and a variety of short stories.

If we view all these books as a whole, there are some similarities among them. Firstly, the doctor character is playing an essential role in the stories, no matter as the main storyteller, or as just the participant. The doctor is a kind and warm-hearted post in our minds. However, Maugham saw a freshness in this character, which was eager to try everything, to do the very things that he would denigrate as impetuous. And that is a key in Maugham's books' frame, expanding the stories within an unimportant image but sharper with the writer's humor and comments. This made "the doctor" part much vividly and identified with both an outsider and insider angles.