Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress

Analyze the relationship dynamics between Luo, the Narrator, and the Little Seamstress. How do the connections between the members of this trio reflect the novel’s thematic preoccupation with platonic and romantic bonds? How do the bonds within this trio reflect or contrast with one another?

Dai provides detailed descriptions of nature and landscape through the course of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, creating a vivid rural setting for the re-education of his protagonists. How is the setting depicted? What is the wider significance of this setting in the text?

Analyze the exploration of censorship and artistic freedom in the novel. How does Dai contrast the lure of forbidden art with state control and/or propaganda? How do different characters conceive of the role and worth of art in the text?

Examine how the three main characters—the Narrator, Luo, and the Little Seamstress—mature and develop over the course of the novel. In what ways does the novel reflect tropes common in the coming-of-age genre, and in what ways does the novel diverge from them?

Analyze the depiction of sexuality in the text. What is the significance of sexual experiences and sexual agency in the lives of the characters? How does it reflect, or diverge from, other forms of agency and liberation in the text?

The Cultural Revolution was a period of significant violence and turmoil in China (See: Background). How is this period reflected in the experiences of the characters in Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress? How does the author blend fact and fiction in his exploration of the era?

All but three chapters of Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress are written from the point of view of the unnamed Narrator. Analyze the chapters narrated by the Old Miller, Luo, and the Little Seamstress (Part 3, Chapters 4-6). What do these chapters contribute in terms of characterization, thematic emphasis, and/or narrative momentum?

Explore the depiction of class dynamics in the novel. How do the characters experience class differences? What does the novel suggest about the class dynamics of this time?