Six Records of a Floating Life Essay Example

that Shen Fu was to marry his cousin Chen Yun, his mother was so excited that that she gave Yun “a gold ring off of her own finger”. In my consideration of it being acceptable or not, I do find it somewhat awkward that he refers to his wife as “elder sister” and she refers to him as “younger brother”. This is not a typical relation today and their choice of wording is almost uncomfortable for me to read. I do find it interesting however, that courtesans (high class prostitutes) were a regular item do not reatly offend his wife, which is MUCH different than what we would observe today.

Another difference, I believe, is the close relationships between friends and family. The family is close enough to inter-marry which provides a strong basis for their intimacy. Shen Fu also talks about the help that he receives from friends and family in the form of housing, food, and money to help out in anyway they could. Shen Fu’s brother-in-law was more than kind and in desperation was almost asked for more help but Yun declined his endeavor by saying “It’s better to ask for help from a friend, than a relative”.

I think that this really expresses the opinion of the time, in that, it was/is embarrassing to ask for monetary help from your family and the majority of this was alleviated by asking a personal friend. Shen Fu’s work doesn’t construe the treatment of women during this time, but provides a glimpse into an exception to the rule. Women were harshly treated and received little attention during the Qing Dynasty. They were regarded as property and

not allowed to leave the house without a man to accompany them.

It was highly discouraged that they learn to read or write and they were not allowed to lead fulfilling lives, as they were bound to their husbands. Shen Fu does express some of these characteristics, such as being with courtesans and other mistresses, but he truly had a heartfelt love for Yun and was able to express it much better than the rest of the early Chinese society. Shen Fu, although a loving man, had tendencies that leaned toward rudeness and disrespect in regards to Yun.

Western culture does make my opinion of him a little biased, as I cannot stand to think of how he would be with courtesans and other women while he was married. I believe that he had good intentions and obviously had a deep and beautiful love with his wife but it is hard for me to disregard some of his decisions that he made during their marriage (affairs). I also believe that he is only of minimal intelligence and I respect the fact that he would be direct enough to discredit criticism against him by saying that “Criticism of my writing would be like the shining of a bright light into a dirty mirror”.

This shows that he is not trying to impress anyone with amazing literary skills, which makes this a much more interesting and true book. The Six Records of a Floating Life is commonly regarded as a romance, and it is no secret to why this is legitimate. Shen Fu openly dedicates the book to the lasting love that he has for his wife Yun. This is

a love story and reads like one, although there are deviations from this plot, it does follow that same central idea of love. I find this to be a compelling romance and a very informative one that does a great job providing insight into a trying time in China.

As the introduction explains: “[Six Records] is a love story set in traditional Chinese society”. Although there are courtesans and other women present in Shen Fu’s life, his wife’s undying love for him and the success of their relationship, continues to shine through and details sad moments while retaining the happiness found in love. This is truly one of my favorite accounts of love and romance, told through a simple man’s heart and mind, and will continue to inspire and bring enjoyment of to those who read it even centuries after its creation.