Narrative
Miss Sophie's Diary
莎菲女士的日記
Ding Ling · 1928
Synopsis
A young woman suffering from tuberculosis, who has come alone to Beijing far from her family, keeps a diary. In it she records her boredom, her unsparing judgements of those around her, and the jealousy of Weidi, a friend who loves her. Ling Jishi, a young man from the southern seas, unsettles her with his beauty, and she sets down with precision a desire that she cannot reconcile with the little esteem he inspires in her.
Context
Written in 1927, the story appeared in February 1928 in the Xiaoshuo yuebao and caused a sensation by the way it showed the unhappiness and amorous turmoil of a young woman. Told in the first person, this diary gives voice to an independent woman whom the society of her time cannot accommodate, and it is seen as a milestone in the changing condition of women in the time of the May Fourth Movement. It was translated into English by Joseph Lau in a journal in 1974, then by W. J. F. Jenner in Beijing in 1985 and by Tani Barlow in 1989.
Who it is for
A short narrative in the form of a diary, to be read in one go; the context of the May Fourth Movement sheds light on its significance.
Prizes and reception
Britannica counts Ding Ling among the most popular Chinese women writers of the twentieth century, beginning with her early stories.
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