The Female Shop Assistant

Lao SheBaihua Literature and Art Publishing House · ChinaFeb 2017

3.7

Word count: 35K words
Chapters: 5

Summary

After the founding of New China, Lao She returned from the United States to his battered homeland and witnessed the people taking power and the earth-shaking changes in their spirit. This expansion of thought and life led him, with unprecedented enthusiasm, to sing the praises of new figures in New China, seeking to reveal the practical paths and historical laws of building a modern national spirit—thus producing a series of plays praising the new, including The Shopgirl.

Editor's review

The Shopgirl is one of the plays Lao She wrote after the founding of New China, part of a group in which he wrote with fervor about new society and new figures. The play turns its gaze on the lives and spiritual changes of ordinary shop assistants, seeking to show on stage, through dialogue and action, the psychological turn of ordinary people who have become masters of their country. For readers who want to know another side of Lao She's creative path, the book is an important reference beyond his fiction: it shows how he handled contemporary subjects in dramatic form and how he kept his customary streetwise flavor and humor in his characters' speech. Watch how character relationships are set up and how dialogue is paced, and consider the dramatic techniques he uses in praising new figures. The book suits readers interested in Lao She's plays and the look of early New China drama, and serves as a supplementary reader on the shifts in his creative phases.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Lao She's plays
Readers studying early New China drama
Literature lovers who want to understand shifts in Lao She's creative phases
Those needing a play text for reading or staging reference

Not a good fit for

General readers who only want Lao She's classic novels
Drama readers who prefer strong conflict and complex plots
Those not interested in early New China drama subjects

Reading tips

Read the whole play first to grasp the character relationships, then revisit the pacing of key dialogue.
Compare with Lao She's plays from the same period to observe changes in subject and method.
For staging, try reading roles aloud to feel the streetwise tone of the lines.

About the publisher

Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House China · Founded in 1958

Founded in August 1958 and restructured into Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House (Tianjin) Co., Ltd. in 2009, Baihua Literature and Art Publishing House is known for publishing essays and fiction, and it hosts the journals Fiction Monthly and Essays. Its 757 titles in the library span classic works, culture, folk literature, essays and miscellaneous writings, foreign literature, and general biography. They include Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Zhu Ziqing's selected essays and Classic Essays, Fu Lei's Twenty Lectures on Masterpieces of World Art, and a Chinese translation of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa's Rashōmon, as well as cultural and performing-arts titles such as the illustrated Biography of Liang Qichao and A Dictionary of Crosstalk. Its authors include Lao She, Zhu Ziqing, Wu Qichang, Fu Lei, Xue Baokun, Gao Yucong, Wei Zhiqiang, and Ryūnosuke Akutagawa.

版权信息
序幕
第一幕
第二幕
第三幕

FAQ

Can I understand this play without experience reading drama?

Yes. A play text is mainly dialogue and stage directions, so the barrier is low. On a first read, sort out the characters and scene changes, then note the attitudes revealed in dialogue, and you will grasp the basic thread.

How does this play differ from Lao She's fiction?

Plays are bound by stage time and space and rely more on dialogue to advance relationships and conflict, so the language must be more direct and immediate. Notice how Lao She arranges confrontations within limited scenes and how his familiar humor and streetwise flavor translate into lines.

What should I focus on while reading?

Start with the main characters' speech habits and changing relationships, then see how stage directions support characterization. If interested in Lao She's creative phases, also note how the praise of new figures works with the dramatic structure.

Comments

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About the author

Lao She Author · China · 1899–1966

Lao She, born Shu Qingchun with the courtesy name Sheyu, lived from 1899 to 1966. A Manchu from Beijing, he is a major modern Chinese writer. His writing long centered on urban life in Beijing and on ordinary people at the lower levels of society. His works are mostly social novels and folk literature, and he also wrote essays and miscellaneous prose. His style is plain yet marked by irony and compassion, and he was skilled at using colloquial Beijing-flavored language to portray characters and their fates. His representative works include Camel Xiangzi, Four Generations Under One Roof, and Teahouse, which have had wide influence. In 1951 he received the title "People's Artist." The library holds 488 of his works, commonly classified under social fiction, classics, folk literature, essays and miscellaneous writings, and exam books, showing that his writing continues to circulate among readers and in teaching.