Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress A book is not simply words on paper; it is the messages of an author, the life of a character and the power of entertainment or information. Literature is one of the most popular ways of human expression due to the impact that it has on its readers, which is often a reason for its condemnation in certain occasions in history. This effect is present in Dai Sijie’s historical fiction, Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, where nearly all morals of the West, including novels, are banned as the Cultural Revolution took hold under Mao Zedong. In Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, literature exhibits a few of its attributes, which include the power to completely change lives, the strength to
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When a large enough amount of readers begin to understand the author’s work, a sort of cult following or new belief system can be established. The greater number of people involved, the greater impact that the author’s words will spread. This was the case with the Cultural Revolution and Mao Zedong’s Little Red Handbook, especially in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. While Mao’s writing is never actually seen in the story, it’s influence is spread like the plague across the peasants and commoners of China. The village headmaster is a prime example of how this form of literature can take root in someone’s mind and change their way of beliefs and emotions. The village headmaster, upon the arrival of the students, attempts to burn or break the violin and all western goods which are brought by the two on arrival to the camp “”A toy from the city...go on, burn it!”...Everyone started talking at once, shouting and reaching out to grab the toy for the privilege of throwing it on the coals” (4). We see his control throughout his encounters with the story, and is especially seen when the narrator is heard retelling the Count of Monte Cristo to the tailor, and how the narrator attempts to sway the village headmaster through modification of the laws in Mao’s Little Red …show more content…
The beauty in reading stems from the qualities of the writing, whether it’s objective is to teach, to entertain, or to inspire. The diversity in purpose and plot between varying forms of literature creates the idea that there is always new material, which can hook a reader and make them addicted. A direct case of this addiction is the narrator in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. From his first exposure with Balzac’s Ursule Mirouet, the narrator was captured by the contraband novel. He becomes so involved with the book that he even attempts to preserve the story by copying the text into the lining of his jacket. Later in the story, the narrator and Luo become so involved with the Western Novels that they risk their freedoms and steal Four-Eyes’s entire suitcase of books. As the narrator, Luo, and the Little Seamstress indulged themselves in the books, the narrator describes the effect that the stories had on not only himself, but Luo and the Little Seamstress, “...following our successful burglary we were seduced, overwhelmed, spellbound by the mystery of the outside world...revealed to us by these Western Writers” (109). The literature’s major defining quality in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is the amazing exposure to an entirely new culture. As if it were a drug, the books charmed and captured its three audience members, proving that one of literature’s most important
When a large enough amount of readers begin to understand the author’s work, a sort of cult following or new belief system can be established. The greater number of people involved, the greater impact that the author’s words will spread. This was the case with the Cultural Revolution and Mao Zedong’s Little Red Handbook, especially in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. While Mao’s writing is never actually seen in the story, it’s influence is spread like the plague across the peasants and commoners of China. The village headmaster is a prime example of how this form of literature can take root in someone’s mind and change their way of beliefs and emotions. The village headmaster, upon the arrival of the students, attempts to burn or break the violin and all western goods which are brought by the two on arrival to the camp “”A toy from the city...go on, burn it!”...Everyone started talking at once, shouting and reaching out to grab the toy for the privilege of throwing it on the coals” (4). We see his control throughout his encounters with the story, and is especially seen when the narrator is heard retelling the Count of Monte Cristo to the tailor, and how the narrator attempts to sway the village headmaster through modification of the laws in Mao’s Little Red …show more content…
The beauty in reading stems from the qualities of the writing, whether it’s objective is to teach, to entertain, or to inspire. The diversity in purpose and plot between varying forms of literature creates the idea that there is always new material, which can hook a reader and make them addicted. A direct case of this addiction is the narrator in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. From his first exposure with Balzac’s Ursule Mirouet, the narrator was captured by the contraband novel. He becomes so involved with the book that he even attempts to preserve the story by copying the text into the lining of his jacket. Later in the story, the narrator and Luo become so involved with the Western Novels that they risk their freedoms and steal Four-Eyes’s entire suitcase of books. As the narrator, Luo, and the Little Seamstress indulged themselves in the books, the narrator describes the effect that the stories had on not only himself, but Luo and the Little Seamstress, “...following our successful burglary we were seduced, overwhelmed, spellbound by the mystery of the outside world...revealed to us by these Western Writers” (109). The literature’s major defining quality in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is the amazing exposure to an entirely new culture. As if it were a drug, the books charmed and captured its three audience members, proving that one of literature’s most important