The classic novel, The Song of Everlasting Sorrow, is written by one of the most prominent Chinese writers of all-time, Wang Anyi. She is described as a Chinese writer who has particularly depicted the Shanghai life (Wang Anyi). This description is directly-proportional to way the novel was structured. It was written in a creative technique of centering the plot on the city of Shanghai.
The Part I of the novel, particularly the first chapter, mainly talks about the love of the author towards Shanghai. In fact, it had its ups and downs during the tumultuous period from the post war 1940s to the 1980s (Song of Everlasting Sorrow: Novel of Shanghai). The city was described in numerous splendid ways. However, Wang Anyi did not just depict it as beautiful for its forms and sophistication. Instead, she used the longtangs as the mere reason for its beauty. She emphasizes the inner goodness of the city in a way that even though these alleyways are populated by the lower ranks of the society and are often viewed as crowded and dirty; still this is where the values and principles of the city come from. In turn, this could also refer to the society’s misconception of what is lovely and what is not. People usually look at the structural or physical beauty as basis for beauty, which is not enough if we are to perceive the true essence of it.
The novel also enlightened its readers about the significance of the role of women in the society. In the first chapters of the book, we are introduced to the heroine of the novel, Wang Qiyao. As said, she is a beauty queen who is in dire need to become discovered, which in turn, will boost her popularity. With this being said, it’s very disappointing that women, at that time, turned to fame as a basis for their success. But the thing is we cannot blame their mindset because back then, the society embraced the norm which says that women do serve as entertainment and scenery for the purpose of service to men. It is unfathomable that people were blinded by this wrong belief for a very long time.
Works Cited
"Song of Everlasting Sorrow: A Novel of Shanghai." MCLC Resource Center. 2014. Web. 22 May 2016.
"Wang Anyi." Wang Anyi. Web. 22 May 2016.
