Journal Of Women (1920-1925), "new Women" Image Research

This research attempts to re-examine the various layers of the figure of "New Women" during the May Fourth Movement period by exploring the Women s Magazine (1920-1925). The figure of the "New Women" is not independent and settled. In some way, the term of the "New Women" is an ambitious definition without a certain inner connotation. Sometimes it is regarded as the highest standard of women, whereas in other times, it is connected with the luxury, consumption and sensuality based on the history and cultural background.To understand the Chines "New Women" that floated from the historical surface recently, it’s necessary to specifically concentrate on the media space for the "New Women". Obviously, the Women’s Magazine, as an applicable sample, provides sufficient sources to understand the "New Women" at that very period.This research is structured with sven sections:introduction, five chapters and conclusion. In the introduction, it firstly clarifies the selective issues of the Women’s Magazine, the reasons for adopting the Women’s Magazine as a research sample, and research method with perspectives of innovation as well as explanations of several definitions.In the first chapter, this research analyses the Women’s Magazines (1920-1925) as a mass media, mainly discussing not only its values in the history of magazines and newspapers as well as the women’s liberation movement in China, but also the subject contents and editorial style involved in the magazine.As an omnibus journal, the commentaries, pictures and advertisements included in the Women’s Magazine are also regarded as the research subjectives in order to grasp the specific image of the "New Women". The second chapter argues that although the major differences between the issues of the Women’s Magazine before and after the May Fourth Movement is whether it vigorously advocated women’s liberation, the Magazine mainly discussed the new role that women played within the family, except the independent women who left home for self-sufficient life outside. Therefore, the "New Women" within the Women’s Magazine can be divided into two types:the "New Good-wife-and-beloved-mother" and the "New Women."From chapter three to chapter five, this research significantly concentrates on studying the literatures in the Magazine.Chapter three mainly seeks to find out the reflections on literary history triggered by the reform of Women’s Magazines (1920-1925). First, influenced by the May Fourth Movement, the reform of Women’s Magazine opened a new trend of changes, which could be deemed as an essential part of the new literature in China. Second, the Magazine valued the translations and introductions of some foreign literature works and its peculiar character of nationality.Third, under the impetus of the enlightenment sprit and the responsibility to awaken the weak people, the Women’s Magazine (1920-1925) found out that "child" and "children’s literature" could be used well to foster a new generation. Fourth, the increasing social problems led people attach too much importance on the practical functions of literature, and its enlightening characteristics whereas neglect its aesthetic and emotional functions. Comparing to the male writers, women writers always have more unique experiences and ideas themselves.Forth, this research explores the relationship between the "New Women" ad "personal freedom", by studying the image of new women in literature with the individualism-oriented topic of "runaway" and " free love". In this part, this research summarizes that firstly, the appeal of individual liberation changed the traditional image of women. The significance of personal or intimate realm was beginning to be well known, while a lot of women that ran away from home to pursuit free love appeared in some literature works. Secondly, due to the massive expectations about a strong nation-state, many intellectuals worried that "runaway" with the enthusiasm of "free love" would upset the social order in the future.Furthermore, this research also discusses the new role of the "New Women" on "family/society" by studying the figure of the "New Women" in literature works. As one of the most important social systems, family is obviously the basement for a new society. Therefore, lots of literature works describe the new role of women in the process of promoting reforms within family. The new role of women in the family can be classified into two parts:a new wife and a mother served as children raising, with the purpose to compose a new social system. At the same time, there are also some other literature works in the "Women’s Magazine"(1920-1925) with the unique contents on how women in the community made contributions to the society. Some of the literature works described that the main reason why women was awakened at that time because a lot of male intellectuals thought the essential and critical issue in China’s modernization process was the problem of how the massive traditional women should be awakened and how the they should be transformed to modernization. Moreover, women at that revolutionary period positively asked themselves for contributions to the society. They strived to win social recognition and improve their social status of women to achieve the liberation of women through positive participations into the productive activities of society. Although the female discourse on Women’s Magazine (1920-1925) is grounded on the individualism born form the May Fourth Movement, there are still some literature works focus on social class issues. More importantly, some of those works reflected the realistic social environment, and the exploitation of the upper social class on the bottom worker, especially on the under stratum women.Main conclusions are drawn from three aspects as following:First of all, from the figure of "New Women" advocated and asked by the New Culture Movement; Secondly, from the figure of women transformed from the traditional to the modern and its significant meaning; Finally, from the question on how did the new concept of "personal","family", and "social" reconstruct the figures of women.