My Lost Love
A satirical reading of Lu Xun’s “My Lost Love”: comic form on the surface, sharp critique of literary affectation and self-deceptive pride underneath.
At first read, this pseudo-classical poem is confusing on purpose.
Its comic gifts and exaggerated exchanges can distract us from what Lu Xun is really doing.
#Surface Layer: Psychological Defense
The speaker is rejected but refuses direct vulnerability.
Instead, he reframes rejection as “incompatibility of values.”
That move is familiar: when pride is hurt, people convert pain into superiority.
So yes, the voice feels theatrical and self-conscious.
#Deeper Layer: Literary Prank as Critique
Lu Xun himself stated that this piece satirized the fashionable “heartbreak poetry” of his time.
Against decorative romanticism, he stages a counter-gift logic:
- butterfly scarf -> owl,
- swallow painting -> candied haw,
- gold watch chain -> sweating medicine,
- rose -> red snake.
Each return gift punctures sentimental fantasy with rough reality, irony, or danger.
This is not random absurdity. It is targeted demystification.
#Why It Works
The poem does two things at once:
- It captures a real human defense mechanism (pride masking injury).
- It ridicules a broader literary culture of performative sensitivity.
The result is comedy with teeth.
Lu Xun strips the mask off self-dramatizing romance and shows the awkward, conflicted ego beneath.