Fear of Flying
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Summary
Editor's review
From the perspective of literary history, the value of Fear of Flying lies in its truthful record of women's inner world during the second wave of feminism. With poetic language and keen psychological insight, Erica Jong places women's intimate experiences at the center of literary narrative, challenging the male-dominated narrative tradition of the literary world at the time. The contradictions in the novel surrounding fear, desire, and creation still resonate with modern readers today.
This edition from Shanghai Translation Publishing House is translated by Shi Yafang; the translation is fluent and preserves the poetry and edge of the original relatively well. For readers who want to understand 1970s feminist literature or are interested in the form of the autobiographical novel, this is a classic not to be missed. It may not be an easy read, but its honesty and literary quality can bring lasting reflection.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in the history of feminist literature
- Literature lovers who enjoy autobiographical novels and psychological writing
- Readers hoping to understand the social and cultural context of 1970s America
- Women readers exploring the relationship between self-identity and creation
Not a good fit for
- Readers seeking light, entertaining reading
- Readers uncomfortable with explicit depictions of women's erotic experience
Reading tips
- It is recommended to understand the work's themes in the context of the second wave of American feminism in the 1970s
- While reading, pay attention to the protagonist Isadora's dual struggle as a poet and a woman
- It can be read alongside other feminist classics such as The Second Sex and A Room of One's Own
About the publisher
Shanghai Translation Publishing House is a Chinese publisher oriented mainly toward translation and publishing. Its publications cover foreign literature, world classics and classic works, as well as social culture, folk literature and classical poetry. The database contains 2,618 titles, including Never Let Me Go, Les Misérables (2 volumes), Don Quixote (illustrated collector's edition), The Complete Comedies of Molière (4 volumes), The Complete Novels of Kafka (3 volumes), The Collected Works of Dostoevsky (9-volume set), Reason and Persons, and Oedipus Rex (Translation Classics). Its author resources include foreign writers such as Kazuo Ishiguro, Victor Hugo, Cervantes and Molière, as well as translators such as Zheng Kelu, Sun Jiameng, Li Jianwu and Zhang Kun. The publisher has brands such as "Translation Classics Selections" and "Translation Documentary," and emphasizes translated works in foreign literature and the humanities and social sciences, while also publishing bilingual dictionaries and foreign-language educational books. Public information is limited; the above is based on the book information in the database.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 五十周年纪念版序
- 前言
- 怕飞
- 一 通往梦想大会或无拉链速交的旅程
- 二 “每个女人都崇拜法西斯”
- 三 咚咚，咚咚
- 四 黑森林附近
- 五 来自梦想大会的报道
- 六 迸发的激情或床下的男人
- 七 神经性咳嗽
- 八 来自维也纳森林的故事
- 九 潘多拉的盒子或我的两个母亲
- 一〇 弗洛伊德故居
- 一一 对存在主义的再思考
- 一二 疯子
- 一三 乐队指挥
- 一四 阿拉伯人与其他动物
- 一五 与我的反英雄出游
- 一六 被引诱与被抛弃
- 一七 幻梦
- 一八 血色婚姻或转瞬即逝
- 一九 一个十九世纪的结尾
- 《怕飞》，三十岁生日快乐
- 亨利·米勒谈《怕飞》
- 厄普代克谈《怕飞》：埃丽卡·容式的爱
- 埃丽卡·容访谈录
FAQ
How closely is the novel related to Erica Jong's real experiences?
Why did the book cause great controversy when it was published?
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About the author
Erica Jong is the author of Fear of Flying, a work catalogued in the library under foreign literature. Beyond this title, public information about her is limited: her nationality, dates of birth and death, and English name cannot be confirmed from the available facts, making it difficult to trace a full biography. On the basis of what can be confirmed, she is known to Chinese readers through Fear of Flying, which is classified as foreign literature, suggesting that the book is written for adult readers and has literary and narrative qualities. The title itself conveys a sense of tension, avoidance, and unease, hinting that the work may focus on individual psychology and life circumstances. Because more reliable material is lacking, her writing career, style, and influence cannot be further described; readers who wish to study her work in depth should consult other public sources for additional biographical and creative background.
Publicly available information about Shi Yafang is limited, and what can be confirmed comes mainly from her translations. Two of her works are held in the collection, both in the category of foreign literature: an unabridged full translation of The Call of the Wild and a translation of Fear of Flying. The former is Jack London's classic novel, which presents the law of survival and the return to wildness through the polar wilderness and an animal perspective; the latter moves in a different thematic direction. Judging from these works, Shi Yafang is primarily active in the field of foreign literary translation, focusing on introducing English-language literary works to Chinese readers in a complete and faithful manner. Her translations are characterized by preserving the original without abridgement, offering readers a relatively reliable text for understanding the source works.
