The Education of Love - (Colorful Illustrations Edition)

Author: Duan Yingting
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: This book moved me more than Rousseau's Emile or Pestalozzi's The Drunken Wife. I first obtained the Japanese translation of this book four years ago and remember crying for three nights while reading it. Even later, while translating or casually reading, I was deeply moved and couldn’t help but tear up. These were not tears of sorrow but tears of shame and gratitude. Beyond my role as a human being, I am already a father of two sons and two daughters at home and a teacher who has held a teaching position for over ten years in the field of education. My usual attitude as a person, a father, and a teacher made me feel as if a plain woman saw a beautiful one, feeling ashamed and crying out of shame. The book describes the love between parents and children, the bond between teachers and students, the friendship between friends, the sense of belonging to one’s hometown, and the compassion for society. All of these are close to an ideal world. Though it is a mere illusion, it makes readers feel the essence of an ideal world, thinking that the world should be like this. Thus, I couldn’t help but cry out of gratitude.
This book is generally considered a famous children’s book, but I believe it should not only be read by children but also serve as a general read. It is especially recommended to parents and teachers who have direct contact with children, so that everyone may shed some tears of shame or gratitude.
School education today is utterly empty. Merely changing its external systems and methods like a carousel, no one has ever paid attention to nurturing the essence of education. It’s like digging a pond—some say a square is better, while others argue a round one is better. They keep changing endlessly, yet no one pays attention to the essential element of a pond, which is water. What is the water of education? It is emotion, it is love. Without emotion and love, education becomes a dry pond—whether square or round, it remains empty.
Because of these reasons, I had long wanted to translate this book. However, due to my busy schedule, it was postponed until last summer. Just as I was about to start translating with enthusiasm, my only sister passed away due to childbirth complications. Disheartened, I put it aside again. Later, I had a change of heart and decided to translate the book in memory of my deceased sister. This is how I found the time to write it and serialize it in The Eastern Journal.，，，.
The original title of the book is Cora, which means "heart" in Italian. The book had already been published in 300 editions by 1904 and translated into various languages, though the titles varied. I have a Japanese translation and an English translation. The English translation still uses the title Cora but adds the subtitle "A Diary of an Italian Schoolboy." The Japanese translation was renamed The School of Love. I have seen two versions of the Japanese translation—one titled The True Heart, whose translator I’ve forgotten, and the other translated by Mr. Miyaura Shūgo, titled The School of Love. If we use the original title Cora, it may not fully convey the book’s content in Chinese. "A Diary of an Italian Schoolboy" seems less simple than The School of Love. However, since the book describes not only schools but also social and family life, I decided to rename it The School of Love myself.
The book originally focused on emotional education, and I initially wanted to title it The Education of Feelings. However, I feared it might be confused with the novel The Education of Feelings by French author Jules Michelet, so I abandoned the idea.
Although I compared the Japanese and English translations to ensure accuracy, as a children’s book, I feel ashamed that the translation lacks fluency and liveliness and still needs much refinement. Regrettably, I no longer have the time or ability to polish it further. When this book is reprinted as a standalone volume, I will only make minor corrections to the first printing errors and leave the rest to the readers’ criticism.
Mr. Hu Yuzhi of The Eastern Journal provided great assistance in the publication of this book. My neighbors, Mr. Liu Xunyu and Mr. Zhu Peishan, were the book’s earliest readers, coming to read each completed chapter to help with corrections. The cover and illustrations were created by my neighbor, Mr. Feng Zikai, and both their efforts will never be forgotten.