Six Records of a Floating Life

Six Records of a Floating Life Name Institution Due Date Six Records of a Floating Life On page 89 of Six Records of a Floating Life, Shen Fu write, “I would advise all the husbands and wives in the world not to hate one another, certainly, but also not to love too deeply. As it is said, ‘An affectionate couple cannot grow old together.’ My example should serve as a warning to others.” Write an essay in which you explore what Shen Fu means in this passage. Why is he giving this advice? What does his advice reveal about his worldview, and about the world in which he lives? Six Records of a Floating Life by Shen Fu is an autobiographical narrative that tells the story of a man who tried and significantly succeeded in living on passion and affection alone. They say man shall not live by bread alone but in his story, Shen Fu nearly managed to live by love alone. This book is one that has continued to find its way into people’s shelves as it spells out love and affection like never before. Shen Fu is not only real but his words communicate his message quite clearly. The book is divided into several chapters namely The Joys of the Wedding Chamber, The Pleasures of Leisure, The Sorrows of Misfortune, and the Delights of Roaming Afar. These chapters are all thematic as each provides the reader with a glimpse of what is to come in the other half of the book. As he starts the book, Shen Fu seems unsure of what he will say or whether the book will communicate his message to the readers. He thus starts with a self-deprecating tone as he notes “Unfortunately I never completed my studies, so my writing is not very skilful” (1). However, he continues to note that his purpose is “to record true feelings and actual events.” So, he believed that critiquing his work would no one any good as it “will be life shining of bright light into a dirty mirror” (1). This article, however, will seek to decipher a single excerpt while trying to understand the meaning Shen Fu sought to communicate. What does Shen Fu mean in this passage? “I would advise all the husbands and wives in the world not to hate one another, certainly, but also not to love too deeply. As it is said, ‘An affectionate couple cannot grow old together.’ My example should serve as a warning to others.” (89). The words above come from a man who is feeling the weight of losing a loved one. Throughout the book, Shen Fu’s love for his wife is not questionable. The man loved his wife and would d anything to make her life comfortable. The first part of the excerpt, I would advise all the husbands and wives in the world not to hate one another, is simply a call to all married couples to love one another. Shen Fu believed in love and never shied away from showing his wife this love. His love towards her led to him having problems with his family who thought he was doing too much for her. At one instance, his father was angry at him because of a loan which he had not been able to repay. “We belong to a scholars’ family; how could we fail to repay a loan from such common people?” (164). His father, however, did not stop there and a messenger infuriated him some more. He told his son that “your wife does not cultivate the feminine virtues, but has become a swor...