Ms. Sophie's Diary
by Ding Ling
About This Novel
"Ms. Shafei's Diary" is a novella written by Ding Ling in 1928. In the form of a diary, it shows the mental dilemma and emotional struggle of Shafei, an intellectual woman after the May Fourth Movement. The story focuses on Shafei's life in Peiping. She suffers from lung disease but has a passionate heart. She hates the hypocrisy and repression of society, and is caught in contradictions in the emotional world: she resents the cowardly and selfish brother Wei who blindly pleases but cannot bear to reject him completely; she is attracted by the appearance of the handsome but ruthless foreign student Ling Jishi, but falls into deeper pain after seeing the emptiness of his soul. The diary is full of Sophie's self-analysis and shouting. She boldly revealed her desire for love, freedom and self-worth, but she felt lonely and confused because of the gap between ideal and reality. With delicate psychological description, the work profoundly depicts the spiritual dilemma faced by women in the May Fourth period after breaking through the shackles of feudalism. It has become a classic in the history of modern Chinese literature that shows women's awakening and struggle. It can still make readers feel the difficulty and courage of women in that era in pursuing independent personality.
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