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PKU - Peking University
PKU - Peking University
04/23/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/22/2024 21:05
One Book to Recommend | 'Fang Siqi's First Love Paradise'
Book covers of Fang Siqi's First Love Paradise
The book records the life of Fang Siqi, a junior high school student, who suffers sexual abuse at the hands of her cram school teacher Li Guohua at the age of thirteen. The protagonist eventually goes insane and commits suicide (Lin, the author, committed suicide in real life shortly after the publication of her first and only complete novel; she was 26).
In the book, Siqi attempts to subtly seek her parents' assistance while she is in agony for as long as six years but only receives a cold response. She tries to persuade herself that she and the teacher are in a "loving relationship," but she keeps seeing him abuse other girls.
Stories of other female characters in this book, like Yiwen, a victim of domestic abuse, and Liu Yiting, a close friend of Siqi, are also scattered throughout the book. These individuals all have varying connections to Siqi's destiny, creating a story of growth, love, and suffering.
The printed words in the book transcended mere ink as the author had infused them with genuine emotions and they became a means of communication between readers and writers. Readers can see and even feel the difficulties and powerlessness faced by Siqi of sexual assault through the author's words.
We could sense Siqi's sinking fear and unexplained guilt when she was initially forced at the age of thirteen. We can sense Siqi's separation feeling as she self-hypnotizes herself into believing that she fell in love with Li Guohua, the criminal, even though she knows it is wrong and must do it to avoid being overcome by agony and self-denial: "I need to love the teacher, otherwise it is too painful." This is a story about sexual assault, but it is also a literary tool for reflection and resistance. With the help of this book, girls reclaim their authority over writing from the perpetrators.
Through literature, we are able to perceive the world through the eyes of the writers. From Sanmao's descriptions of the Sahara Desert to Shakespeare's portrayal of the diversity of humanity and t Conan Doyle's expertise in case-solving, literature enriches our lives and diversifies our perceptions of the world.
Written by: Wang Yu Hsuan
Edited by: Fan Xueyuan