Miss Sophia's Diary
Encyclopedia
"Miss Sophia's Diary" is a short story
by the Chinese author Ding Ling
, in which a young woman describes, through diary
entries, her thoughts and emotions, particularly about relationships, sexuality, and identity.
A major influence on the story was Ding Ling's personal experiences at that time, including depression, exhaustion, and impoverishment. Tani E. Barlow describes her Ding Ling in 1927 as "miserable, drinking heavily, dispirited by the national tragedy of political counterrevolution, and exhausted by her impoverished, often squalid life in boarding-house rooms . . . . "
More generally, Ding Ling was passing from the milieu of a girls' schools to the male-dominated literary scene and involvement with some of China's most sophisticated male writers.
sanatorium
.
Much of the diary concerns Miss Sophia's romantic attraction and sexual desire, and even reveals her bisexuality
. More generally, the diary displays rapid swings of mood and outlook, and captures complex ambivalence of the subject about virtually everything in her life, what one scholar called "the chaos of personality."
Miss Sophia's Diary provides an unorthodox perspective on basic aspects of life. It expresses frank, unflattering views of the male gender: "glib, phony, cautious" . . . "make my skin crawl" . . . "bastard". It also shows an unflattering side of women: cruel, tough, selfish ("the lovely news that someone got sick over me") . . . "savage" It turns traditional morality on its head: the chasteness of her friends Yunglin and Yufang is "just one of those strange, unexplained things in life."
The story shows a person in all her complexity and contradictions. For instance, it shows how Miss Sophia is simultaneously able to exercise power over others, and yet is powerless. A recurring motif
is that she has the power to command the attention of others, but not to make them understand her. She is attracted to a man named Ling Jishi for his physical beauty, but is stimulated by the jealousy of her friend Weidi. Moreover, Ling Jishi has "the beautiful form I adore" but a "cheap, ordinary soul."
Furthermore, Miss Sophia has varying degrees of awareness of her own complexity and contradictions. The author even speaks to her "readers" and admits that the diary is just one (crafted) version of her experience, and just another exercise in controlling the attention of others.
The emotional complexity of the character can be sensed from the fact that, in the closing sentences of the story, her mood ranges from "profound anguish . . . a mere trifle . . . agony . . . excitement . . . laugh wildly, I feel so sorry for myself . . . pathetic . . ."
and May Fourth Movement
.
A subtext of Miss Sophia's Diary, left unspoken until late in the story, is that there is an irreconcilable contradiction between the instinct to be attracted to someone like Ling Jishi and the fact that he is so irredeemably unenlightened.
Of equal historical significance is the interior nature of the narrative in Miss Sophia's Diary. In contrast to other first person narratives, even those using the "diary" format, such as the landmark A Madman's Diary
by Lu Xun
, Miss Sophia's Diary is unusual in the frankness with which it reveals a real person's emotions.
by Gustave Flaubert
was a major influence on Ding Ling in writing "Miss Sophia's Diary".
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
by the Chinese author Ding Ling
Ding Ling
Dīng Líng was the pseudonym of Jiǎng Bīngzhī , also known as Bīn Zhǐ , a Chinese woman author from Linli in Hunan province. She was awarded the Soviet Union's Stalin second prize for Literature in 1951....
, in which a young woman describes, through diary
Diary
A diary is a record with discrete entries arranged by date reporting on what has happened over the course of a day or other period. A personal diary may include a person's experiences, and/or thoughts or feelings, including comment on current events outside the writer's direct experience. Someone...
entries, her thoughts and emotions, particularly about relationships, sexuality, and identity.
History
"Miss Sophia's Diary" was written in 1927.A major influence on the story was Ding Ling's personal experiences at that time, including depression, exhaustion, and impoverishment. Tani E. Barlow describes her Ding Ling in 1927 as "miserable, drinking heavily, dispirited by the national tragedy of political counterrevolution, and exhausted by her impoverished, often squalid life in boarding-house rooms . . . . "
More generally, Ding Ling was passing from the milieu of a girls' schools to the male-dominated literary scene and involvement with some of China's most sophisticated male writers.
Major themes
The major subject matter of Miss Sophia's Diary is a person's thoughts and feelings. The "interior" nature of the story is reinforced by its setting in a tuberculosisTuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
sanatorium
Sanatorium
A sanatorium is a medical facility for long-term illness, most typically associated with treatment of tuberculosis before antibiotics...
.
Much of the diary concerns Miss Sophia's romantic attraction and sexual desire, and even reveals her bisexuality
Bisexuality
Bisexuality is sexual behavior or an orientation involving physical or romantic attraction to both males and females, especially with regard to men and women. It is one of the three main classifications of sexual orientation, along with a heterosexual and a homosexual orientation, all a part of the...
. More generally, the diary displays rapid swings of mood and outlook, and captures complex ambivalence of the subject about virtually everything in her life, what one scholar called "the chaos of personality."
Miss Sophia's Diary provides an unorthodox perspective on basic aspects of life. It expresses frank, unflattering views of the male gender: "glib, phony, cautious" . . . "make my skin crawl" . . . "bastard". It also shows an unflattering side of women: cruel, tough, selfish ("the lovely news that someone got sick over me") . . . "savage" It turns traditional morality on its head: the chasteness of her friends Yunglin and Yufang is "just one of those strange, unexplained things in life."
The story shows a person in all her complexity and contradictions. For instance, it shows how Miss Sophia is simultaneously able to exercise power over others, and yet is powerless. A recurring motif
Motif (narrative)
In narrative, a motif is any recurring element that has symbolic significance in a story. Through its repetition, a motif can help produce other narrative aspects such as theme or mood....
is that she has the power to command the attention of others, but not to make them understand her. She is attracted to a man named Ling Jishi for his physical beauty, but is stimulated by the jealousy of her friend Weidi. Moreover, Ling Jishi has "the beautiful form I adore" but a "cheap, ordinary soul."
Furthermore, Miss Sophia has varying degrees of awareness of her own complexity and contradictions. The author even speaks to her "readers" and admits that the diary is just one (crafted) version of her experience, and just another exercise in controlling the attention of others.
The emotional complexity of the character can be sensed from the fact that, in the closing sentences of the story, her mood ranges from "profound anguish . . . a mere trifle . . . agony . . . excitement . . . laugh wildly, I feel so sorry for myself . . . pathetic . . ."
Historical significance
Miss Sophia's Diary is a landmark in the evolving role of women in China during the era marked by the New Culture MovementNew Culture Movement
The New Culture Movement of the mid 1910s and 1920s sprang from the disillusionment with traditional Chinese culture following the failure of the Chinese Republic, founded in 1912 to address China’s problems. Scholars like Chen Duxiu, Cai Yuanpei, Li Dazhao, Lu Xun, Zhou Zuoren, and Hu Shi, had...
and May Fourth Movement
May Fourth Movement
The May Fourth Movement was an anti-imperialist, cultural, and political movement growing out of student demonstrations in Beijing on May 4, 1919, protesting the Chinese government's weak response to the Treaty of Versailles, especially the Shandong Problem...
.
A subtext of Miss Sophia's Diary, left unspoken until late in the story, is that there is an irreconcilable contradiction between the instinct to be attracted to someone like Ling Jishi and the fact that he is so irredeemably unenlightened.
Of equal historical significance is the interior nature of the narrative in Miss Sophia's Diary. In contrast to other first person narratives, even those using the "diary" format, such as the landmark A Madman's Diary
A Madman's Diary
"A Madman's Diary" was written in 1918 by Lu Xun, commonly considered one of the greatest writers in 20th-century Chinese literature. This short story is considered to be one of the first and most influential modern works written in vernacular Chinese...
by Lu Xun
Lu Xun
Lu Xun or Lu Hsün , was the pen name of Zhou Shuren , one of the major Chinese writers of the 20th century. Considered by many to be the leading figure of modern Chinese literature, he wrote in baihua as well as classical Chinese...
, Miss Sophia's Diary is unusual in the frankness with which it reveals a real person's emotions.
Comparative perspective
Madame BovaryMadame Bovary
Madame Bovary is Gustave Flaubert's first published novel and is considered his masterpiece. The story focuses on a doctor's wife, Emma Bovary, who has adulterous affairs and lives beyond her means in order to escape the banalities and emptiness of provincial life...
by Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert was a French writer who is counted among the greatest Western novelists. He is known especially for his first published novel, Madame Bovary , and for his scrupulous devotion to his art and style.-Early life and education:Flaubert was born on December 12, 1821, in Rouen,...
was a major influence on Ding Ling in writing "Miss Sophia's Diary".
English translations
- Tani E. Barlow, translator, "Miss Sophia's Diary," in I Myself Am A Woman: Selected Writings of Ding Ling, Tani E. Barlow, ed. (Boston: Beacon Press, 1989).
- Joseph S.M. Lau, translator, "Diary of Miss Sophia," Tamkang Review 5, No. 1 (1974).
- W.F. Jenner, translator, Miss Sophia's Diary (Beijing: Panda Books, 1985).