| William Somerset Maugham(1874–1965)is one of the most popular British writers in the 20 th century.By virtue of his affection for traveling,Maugham is praised as World Traveler.On account of his industry in writing,Maugham produced innumerable works.His novel The Painted Veil was created in 1925,whose inspiration came from the combination of Dante’s Inferno and Maugham’s journey to China.Focusing on a British female Kitty,the novel portrays the social panorama of Britain and China in the early 20 th century.With Maugham’s profound deep insight,humorous writing style and plain philosophical language,the novel fascinates many readers.Some scholars have conducted relevant researches about the novel,but few scholars have studied this novel from the perspective of Nietzsche’s aesthetics.Based on Nietzsche’s aesthetics,this thesis probes into The Painted Veil,by analyzing Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit in the novel,to explain how Kitty achieves self-salvation.This thesis takes Nietzsche’s aesthetics as the theoretical foundation.In Nietzsche’s worldview,human’s living is full of pains.However,human can be saved through Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit.Apollonian spirit is the state of dreaming,covering the misery of life.Its function is to prettify life and relieve misery temporarily.However,its illusory essence results in the dissolution of Apollonian dream inevitably;Dionysian spirit is the state of intoxication,interweaving pain and ecstasy.Its function is to transcend pain: to perceive the power of self in the triumph over difficulties,or to appreciate the value of survival after experiencing the threat of death.Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit are the aesthetics of life,because they impel a meaningful life and affirm the value of human existence.In The Painted Veil,the heroine Kitty explores the path to self-salvation.Though experiencing twists and turns,Kitty is on the right track.In the tribulations and triumphs,she reconstructs her own spiritual world and strengthens her will.In the reflection on others’ death,she cherishes her life,discards her past view and sets up a brand-new outlook for her future.In Kitty,Apollonian spirit and Dionysian spirit coexist.The ecstasy originating from Dionysian spirit is the core of human self-salvation.In the entire novel manifests Maugham’s contemplation of the way of living in the modern society: how human survives in the world where fantasy and reality coexist.As is represented by Nietzsche’s aesthetics,under the glory of Apollonian spirit mankind can survive,while in the intoxication of Dionysian spirit mankind can achieve self-salvation and gain rebirth. |
