Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
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| Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress | |
 One version of the front cover of the novel |
|
| Author | Dai Sijie |
|---|---|
| Original title | Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise |
| Translator | Ina Rilke |
| Genre(s) | Historical, Semi-autobiographical novel |
| Publisher | Anchor Books |
| Publication date | 2000 |
| Published in English |
2001 |
| Media type | print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 184 pp |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-375-41309-X |
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Dai Sijie, and published in 2000 in French and in English in 2001. Its original French title is Balzac et la petite tailleuse chinoise.
[edit] Plot Summary
The novel, written by Dai Sijie, is about two teenage boys, Luo and Ma, who are sent to be re-educated at the Mountain of the Phoenix of the Sky (or Phoenix Mountain), because their doctor parents are "enemies of the people" and "reactionaries of the bourgeoise" by the Communist state. There, they are captivated by and fall in love with the daughter of the local tailor, the Little Seamstress. At the same time, they meet Four-Eyes (Binoclard) who is also being re-educated. Although he is succeeding in re-education, he is in truth hiding forbidden, Western books. The boys make him give them books, most notably Ursule Mirouët by Balzac. Later, when Four-Eyes' mother comes to take him back to the city, they steal these books from him.
This book inspires Ma, but Luo uses it to educate the Little Seamstress, whom he considers primitive. Their romantic relationship grows as Ma silently (and jealously) watches on the sidelines. This relationship, however, results in the Seamstresses's unwanted pregnancy. Ma helps her arrange an illegal abortion while Luo is away. Meanwhile, the farming village of Phoenix Mountain delights in the storytelling of the two teens. They are even excused from work for a few days to see movies at Yong Jing, a nearby town, and later relate the story to the townspeople. Ma mostly assists with the storytelling because Luo is able to truly touch the hearts of his audience. Other talents and possessions of the two boys that the townspeople wonder at include Luo's clock and Ma's violin (on which they love to hear "Mozart is Thinking of Chairman Mao" their improvised, Communist-friendly name for a Mozart Sonata).
Later, Luo's mission of educating the Little Seamstress backfires. At first however, it seemed as if his plan was perfect - she had just adopted the city accent and had was making modern clothing. Yet, one day, she leaves without saying farewell, and the boys find out that she had learned one lesson from Balzac: that "a woman's beauty is a treasure beyond price."
[edit] Characters
- Luo — Luo is the only character in the novel with a recognizable name. Luo is the son of a famous dentist who bragged of having worked on Chairman Mao's teeth, and is accused of being a reactionary for having committed the sin of suggesting that the Chairman was not perfect. Luo is audacious, a talented liar and storyteller. He doesn't evolve throughout the story like other characters do, but he seems to have only gained the knowledge of sexual relationship.
- The narrator — His name is Ma, but since it is only given in Chinese in the book, he is just known as "the narrator." The son of two doctors who have been labeled enemies of the people, the narrator mentions his name is written in Chinese characters that in English translate as "Horse Sword Bell." but in fact in the original french version this is not specified as he mentions only that the characters that make up his name can be drawn as a man riding a horse, a long sword and a ringing bell. The narrator plays the violin, and is once referred to in the novel as "the fiddler." His character begins with very low confidence. However, as the novel progresses, the narrator's storytelling skills rival and then arguably surpass those of his friend Luo, through reading literature. He also becomes more audacious as he purposefully causes the headman of the village severe pain by pumping the machine that drills holes in teeth very slowly.
- The Little Seamstress — Daughter of a famous local tailor, the Little Seamstress is a rare beauty. By the end of Part 1, the Little Seamstress begins to have a sexual relationship with Luo. She has had no formal education, and cannot read, so Luo and the narrator read to her. Amongst the ignorant peasants she has an air of sophistication, though Luo comments early in the novel that she is "not civilized, at least not enough for me!" However, Luo is only stereotyping her. As the novel progresses, the Little Seamstress learns about the outside world by reading the foreign books with the help of Luo.
- The Headman — The headman is the leader of the village the narrator and Luo are sent to for re-education. He has a very arrogant personality. One day, he even blackmailed Luo to fix his teeth in return for not sending the narrator to jail.
- Four-eyes — He is the son of a writer and poetess, however doesn't seem to have inherited his parents' ability of writing. Four-eyes must wear thick glasses to compensate for his nearsightedness (hence his nickname). He possesses a treasure trove of forbidden "reactionary" Western novels which the Narrator and Luo covet and eventually steal. He is referred to as a character who is used to humiliation. He is the rude and betraying person who ends up trying to use his friends. He says to his mother that the only reason he was still friends with Luo was because his father was a great dentist, and if he was friendly enough they could save some money. He clearly valued possessions more than people. He also doesn't seem to know how to fit in.
- The Miller — He is an old man who lives alone and is a repository of local "folk" songs. The Miller narrates one part of the novel and provides songs to the boys, who then relate them to Four-eyes. He is one of the characters who chooses not to get involved with the revolution.
- The Tailor — He is the father of the Little Seamstress. He is richer than all the peasants, and is treated almost like royalty. At one point in the story, the narrator recalls a Western story to him while he spends the night with the narrator and Luo. Through this experience, he gains a slight air of sophistication, and the story begins to influence the clothes that he makes.
[edit] Film, TV or theatrical adaptations
- A film based on his novel was released in 2002, directed by Dai himself.
- Sites related to Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress
