Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is a 2005 novel by Lisa See set in nineteenth century China. In her introduction to the novel, See writes that Lily, the narrator, was born in 1823 — "the third year of Emperor Daoguang's reign". The novel begins in 1903, when Lily is 80 years old. It continues on to tell the story of her life from birth, childhood, marriage, and old age. During her lifetime, Lily lives through the reigns of four emperors: Emperor Daoguang (1820–1850); Emperor Xianfeng (1850–1861); Emperor Tongzhi (1861–1875); and Emperor Guangxu (1875–1908).
The novel received an honorable mention from the Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature.
Read more about Snow Flower And The Secret Fan: Plot Summary, Film
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“It had been cold since December. Snow fell, first,
At New Year and, from then until April, lay
On everything. Now it had melted, leaving
The gray grass like a pallet, closely pressed;
And dirt. The wind blew in the empty place.”
—Wallace Stevens (1879–1955)
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white desire, empty, a single stem;
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—William Carlos Williams (1883–1963)
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—Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1809–1882)
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