This course studies the fiction of major Chinese women writers from the literary revolution of the early 1910s to the present time. Early Chinese fiction by women tends to address issues of gender in society with political messages. Yet the last forty years have seen a real renaissance in which new generations of women writers have played an important role. Characterized by introspective probing into female psychology, fiction by modern women writers depicts how Chinese women are trapped in the conflicts between power, money, and sexuality on the one hand, and their own identity and dignity on the other. In sensitivity and imagination their writings are distinctively feminine. The course will examine the development of themes, forms, and styles seen in the context of modern China and against the background of China's patriarchal tradition. Recent feminist scholarship on modern Chinese literature will be used in studying the works.
Prerequisite: None. No knowledge of Chinese or modern and contemporary Chinese literature is expected.