Representations of Women in Chinese Literature
S07
Shunzhu Wang
Literature, as a social and cultural product, both shapes and is shaped by the social and cultural environment. Derived from the patriarchal culture, Chinese literature often reflects and functions to perpetuate patriarchal values. But, do male and female writers write differently, particularly with regard to the representation of women? Do biological differences prevent male writers from portraying the genuine female experience, as some feminist critics have argued? This course will compare a group of male and female writers to see if and how they differ in their representations of the female experience. We will examine these representations under a gender-conscious microscope and explore how the male writers selected tend to objectify women in their writing, even when they clearly adopt a sympathetic stance to the female experience. We will discuss how female writers are usually invested with a double-voicedness, which, on the one hand, subverts patriarchal values, but also serves to reiterate and perpetuate that which it subverts. The ultimate linguistic goal of this course is for the students to further develop—through reading, writing, discussion, and research—the written skills and critical proficiency needed to complete the culminating project. Pre-advanced level.