The Research on the Depiction of Female Identity in Eileen Chang’s Novellas

Yiyi Gu

doi:10.54097/aq7azw98

Authors

Yiyi Gu

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/aq7azw98

Keywords:

Eileen Chang; novella; female identity; female liberation; individualism.

Abstract

Female liberation is a grand topic in Chinese modernization. Analyzing female identity in Chinese literature in the 20th century, especially in female authors’ works, helps people get a closer picture of the traits and processes of the women’s rights movement. This paper provides a close reading of the female identity in four well-known Eileen Chang’s novellas, "Love in a Fallen City", "Aloeswood Incense", "The Golden Cangue" and "Lust, Caution" as a way to discuss Eileen Chang’s attitude towards female individualism and female liberation in China. Female autonomy and subjectivity are two themes that Eileen Chang repeatedly discusses in her novellas, emphasizing her wish and support for female individualism in China. However, her female characters’ pain and tragic ending reveal Eileen Chang’s pessimistic attitude towards the resolution of female struggles and the uncertainty towards female liberation in China.The author hopes to make some contributions to relevant fields through this research.

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