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loved the analysis! amazing video, thank you so much for all the details regarding this amazing book!

Absolutely excellent. Thank you.

I enjoyed your review of The Lover. I am a big fan of the book and the movie. I have also seen the two movie versions of the Sea Wall and read the North China Lover. I always felt the young girl always had the power. I like the movie, because they end it when she is on the boat and she realizes she did love him.

"Who am I? ...Perhaps everything would amount to knowing whom I 'haunt'. ...Perhaps I am doomed to retrace my steps under the illusion that I am exploring ...learning a mere fraction of what I have forgotten."

I also interpreted the fact that her second husband says he can't "start a family" was also part of the slow but therapeutic process of her reclaiming herself and coming to terms with her past trauma. Similar to how he doesn't want her to clean for him, he also doesn't ask or require sex (two things over which women have historically had little control - over their labour and their bodies) which considering she doesn't necessarily see him as a romantic attraction and because in those times i assume wives had no legal grounds *not* to consent (and little cultural allowance to decline) and in the context of her previous abusive husband... I interpreted the fact that she wouldn't have to have sex with her new husband, as a big reason for agreeing to marry him and a bigger part of end theme of her reclaiming herself... part of the context of this new independence and freedom that i think eventually helps her to deal with her past trauma. It just reminds me of when we read Jane Eyre at uni and a big part of Jane and Rochester getting together finally at the end was because with his loss of sight he wasn't quite so all powerful... They were equalised somewhat with each other in a society with huge gender inequality. That is what i read into the end of In Diamond Square. She gained independence throughout the book, and gradually more as her first husband was less powerful through lack of work (so she got a job) and then leaving and then dying.... And its only when she only really believes he is dead and has the kindness of her new husband and emotional (and economic) stability that brings... That she can recover... Though even then, arguably, the sudden change sounds like it was a shock to her. At least it ends seeming like she feels better... Anyway... Brilliant novel. I guess mine was a feminist, relationship-based and trauma informed reading of it. Really interesting video all the same.

I am surprised that their relationship is described as passionate and sexual etc with the "week of wedding nights". I have just read this book and understood the description of their wedding night (week) as traumatic. She says she is "terrified" and he laughs at her making an incredibly violent joke, and we have already seen that he is very jealous, controlling and physically abusive...so that is the context i read this in. She introduces the description of the wedding night with "... He made me see stars". I thought this was a clever way for the narrator to describe something in her characteristic enigmatic style, inviting an interpretationof this description in the context of a violent and abusive relationship. I originally thought she was reluctant to tell her friend about it because it had been awful ans traumatic. I can see how other readings of this could be possible... But... I am just surprised that the clear, explicit abuse isnt mentioned, let alone the less obvious things, when talking about this book... Maybe i need to watch the rest of the video. But other reviews don't mention it either. They mention the trauma of the war, but not the abusiveness of the relationship.

Thanks for the lectures videos this term! -- May

Thanks for everything!

thank you for the great semester - Maya Berrached

Thank you for a great course!!

thank you for such a great class!!!

Thank you for the lecture! Really enjoyed the course

Thanks for the class! Amazing lecture! -Sukanya Aggarwal

Thank you for all your insights this semester!

Classy class !! Dalia Currie

Thank you for all the lectures! - Samantha Rogers

Thanks for the interesting classes, lectures and books!

Thank you for all the lectures!

I really liked your comments on childhood, especially the quote: “a child’s perspective can make the unseen visible.” This made me reflect a lot on the children we read about thought this semester and what ideas their voices may have exposed.

thank you for the term!

Thank you for the final lecture - Mehkai Manzano

Thanks for the fun class!!

Thank you so much for the wonderful course, Professor! - Giaan Deol

Why am I lowkey tearing up tho lol. Thank you for the amazing class! It was one of my favs this sem and my entire first year! ◡̈

Thanks again for the lecture and for the insightful class! - Ava Hamid-Nejad

Thank you for all the lectures! I enjoyed watching them :D

Thanks for a great class and looking forward to tomorrow!

Thank you for the lecture - Vibha Jayaprakash

Thank you for the lecture and the classes Professor! I really loved them! - Dhwani Ved

Thank you for your lecture and have a great summer! Jialu Xu

Thank you for the lecures and the classes! - Janae

Thank you for the lecture professor!! - Katyayani Singh

Thank you for all the lecture videos and this semester! - Katrina Escobal

Thank you for all of the lectures - Puneet D

Thank you for this and all the other lectures for this class! - Katie Wong

Thank you very much for these wonderful lecture videos :)

Thank you for all the lectures! They helped me understand the books better this semester

great lecture ! -- May

Great, amazing, showstopping, never the same

Very interesting lecture thank you! -Alexandra

The hairs looking good in this lecture Jon! -Jack

Thanks for the lecture!

Thanks for the lecture! - Arella Ng

Last lecture! Thank you so much for all of these videos :)

the final one!

thanks for the lecture!! - Meave

The lecture helped me understand the book more -Ximena Avendano Castillo

Thanks for the course prof - ryan

Thank you for the lecture!

Great lecture! Thank you so much - Indra Odbayar