Espionage and love appear as two closely related matters throughout the history of the British spy novel. Between the two domains there seems to exist a mutual attraction as well as an incompatibility. The duties of the spy may put an end to his love affairs, or a love affair may cause the failure of an important espionage mission. The secret agent may give in to emotional feelings, regardless of the dangers this entails, or he may prey upon love as the weak point of another, an enemy spy perhaps. And in some cases, like that of The Quiet American, the secret war affecting the fate of a country becomes coincident with the fight for the love of a woman.
This paper aims at comparing two British spy novels, Graham Greene's The Quiet American (1955) and a proportion of Somerset Maugham's Ashenden: or The British Agent (1928). By way of taking into consideration the particular historical context at the time of the novels' publication, the comparison focuses on the following points: Firstly, the respective depiction of the spy and his activities, also with regard to legitimacy and morality. Secondly, the respective depiction of the American, and the British view upon him. Finally, the depictions of the exotic Eastern settings – Russia and Vietnam respectively – and of the women personifying them, as well as their romantic relationships towards the male protagonists. In the end, the results of this comparison will serve to illustrate not only certain tendencies in the development of the spy novel genre, but also the sociocultural turn from colonialism to post-colonialism.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Plot Summaries
- W. Somerset Maugham: Ashenden: or The British Agent
- Graham Greene: The Quiet American
- Comparison
- The Love Triangles
- The Americans and The Spies
- The Female Other
- Moral Dilemmas
- Summary
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper compares selected aspects of W. Somerset Maugham's Ashenden: or The British Agent, focusing on the "Russia episode," with Graham Greene's The Quiet American. The paper examines the interplay of espionage, love, and political events in both novels, highlighting the similarities and differences between these two stories of love triangles set against the backdrop of international conflict.
- Comparison of the love triangles in both novels
- Analysis of the role of the American characters and the espionage missions
- Exploration of the portrayal of female characters and their connection to the nations represented in the texts
- Examination of the moral dilemmas faced by the protagonists
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The "Russia episode" of Ashenden: or The British Agent, comprising chapters 14-16, revolves around Ashenden's mission to Petrograd during the Bolshevik Revolution. He encounters an annoying American businessman, John Quincy Harrington, who becomes entangled in the political turmoil. The chapter "Love and Russian Literature" recounts Ashenden's past love affair with Anastasia Alexandrovna Leonidov, a woman involved with various political parties. The final chapter, "Mr. Harrington's Washing," depicts the escalating political instability and Harrington's naive involvement.
The Quiet American unfolds in Vietnam during the First Indochina War. The novel intertwines the love triangle between the narrator, Thomas Fowler, the American idealist Alden Pyle, and the Vietnamese woman, Phuong, with the political complexities of the war. Fowler, a disillusioned British journalist, finds himself drawn to Phuong, who is also pursued by Pyle, a young and idealistic American aid worker. The novel explores the impact of Pyle's actions on the political situation and the moral dilemmas faced by both Fowler and Pyle.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
The key themes and concepts explored in this paper include espionage, love, political conflict, moral dilemmas, American idealism, British cynicism, the portrayal of women in espionage novels, and the representation of Russia and Vietnam.
- Quote paper
- M.A. Sylvio Konkol (Author), 2013, Comparing selected aspects of Somerset Maugham's "Ashenden or The British Agent" and Graham Greene's "The Quiet American", Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/305578
