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Letter from Eileen Chang to C.T. Hsia, 1965
1media/letter_chang_to_hsia_1965.jpg2020-11-02T12:13:30-08:00Curtis Fletcher3225f3b99ebb95ebd811595627293f68f680673e378981A letter from Eileen Chang to C.T. Hsia, 1965. In this letter dated October 31, Eileen Chang discusses about her novel "Yuan Nu" with Hsia. She also expresses her interest to translate the Chinese classic novel "Hai Shang Hua" into English. In this letter, Eileen Chang mentions the Chinese author Nie Hualing whom she has heard of. The USPS 5 cents-envelope with dated stamp of 1 Nov 1965 Washington DC is addressed to "Mr. C.T. Hsia, 415 W. 115th St. Apt. 22, New York, N.Y. 10025" from"Chang, 1315 C St. SE, #22, Washington, D.C. 20003."; 張愛玲寄給夏志清的信與信封, 1965. 這封信註明10月31日寫的. 張愛玲於此信中與夏志清討論她的作品"怨女", 並表示對翻譯中國小說"海上花"有興趣. 信中也提到曾聽過作家聶華苓的名字. 信封上有五分錢的郵票, 郵政戳印日期為1965年11月1日華盛頓, 並有收件人地址"Mr. C.T. Hsia, 415 W. 115th St. Apt. 22, New York, N.Y. 10025" 及寄件人地址"Chang, 1315 C St. SE, #22, Washington, D.C. 20003."2020-11-02T12:13:30-08:00Ailing Zhang (Eileen Chang) Papers, 1919-1994, USC Digital LibraryCurtis Fletcher3225f3b99ebb95ebd811595627293f68f680673e
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12020-10-16T00:28:58-07:00Gender, Sexuality, and Ill-Fated Romance37structured_gallery2020-11-14T09:19:05-08:00Originally published in 1944, Red Rose White Rose was adapted to a film by Stanley Kwan 50 years later. Scenarios in it resonated with Chang’s upbringing and it also reflected Chang’s value of love in some ways. Chang delineated the dilemma that the traditional man faced when he encountered two women and she revealed the paradox that male made decisions at every turn. Two women in the novel symbolled the different gender stereotypes in terms of social values in China at that time. They were the incarnations of the woman who was bound by China's traditional cultural identity versus the independent woman. It is interesting if we place her work along with the First-wave feminism, which held during 1860 to 1945. Chang was nurturing feminism in the East. Chang mentioned that Lian Huan Tao, Chuang Shi Ji, as well as Yin Baoyan Song Hua Lou Hui were produced during her prolific period. These pieces of work were drafted after Red Rose White Rose. It took her a while to make up her mind to publish them.
Chang mentioned her another work Rouge of The North a few times between her correspondence with Hsia. Rouge of The North portrays a distorted change of a woman, Yindi, in a dramatic way. Yindi, who marries the blind, bedridden son of a rich and noble family has no power in speech. The twisted domestic relation, the unsatisfying family life, and the exacting dictates of her husband's mother, leaves Yindi in a hopeless situation. After her demanding mother-in-law passed away, she moved out of the big house with her son. Absurdly though, when her son gets married, Yindi has become a perverted mother-in-law and inflicted pain on others. She constantly blames and emotionally tortures her daughter-in-law in a vicious and brutal way. Chang expounds the tragedy across three generations, conveying her idea that marriage is attributed to women’s plight. While holding a negative perception of marriage, in one letter written to Hsia regarding Rouge of The North, Chang implies that “our generation is impoverished with a love life in youth.” The disbelief in marriage, and the yearning for true love, both occur in Chang’s mind.
First published in 1948, Eighteen Springs shows Gu Manzhen’s ill-fated romance through the entanglement with characters, demonstrating the inescapable fate of women in the 1940s. A pessimistic fatalism was revealed that women do not get to choose who they can settle with their lives. Something is destined. Longing for unattainable love is a juxtaposition of sublime and tragedy. In her correspondence to Hsia, Eileen Chang suggests Eighteen Springs would be suitable for film adaptation because it carries a strong dramatic turn. She envisions the leading actress playing two sisters, Manzhen and Manlu, to make a contrast. In 1997, Ann Hui directed the film Eighteen Springs, based on the novel by Chang.