The new Chinese women

• Main Author: Seah, Pei Jun
• Other Authors: Yong Wern Mei
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2015
• Subjects: DRNTU::Humanities::Literature::English
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/62750
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

This paper examines the portrayal of female sexuality and its impact on the individual, community and political engagements in the works of Chen Ran and Yan Ge Ling. In their storytelling from a female perspective; either through the eyes of the female characters or in the narration of the omnipresent female author, female sexuality is juxtaposed against male sexuality to contest patriarchal norms as well as to showcase the fluidity of it. Both writers challenge the idea of heteronormativity through the presentation of fluid gender roles of the characters, in addition to the literary representations on sisterhood. Although some scholars have argued that the and as such 'paradoxically support the very same essentialized understanding of female sexuality' that the culture and society of that time upholds. This paper will thus argue that both Chen Ran and Yan Geling both portray the stereotypical female sexuality as well as alternatives of it. Both authors offer an alternative and make their point that sexuality is fluid and the female sexuality may not be solely contained in the mould provided by either Chinese society or its capitalist concerns for the nation. More importantly, the notion sisterhood between women may further aid the improvement of their lives in both the private and public spheres.