On The Way To Self-identity

This thesis is a overall review and analysis of the self-identity in Chinese feminist writing since 1978. As a dual option from women's instinct and consciousness, self-identity is regarded as a standard to determine whether a woman's writing results from self-consciousness or not and the degree of her consciousness, and it is also the only way to reflect women's reality and their spirit. Starting from "self-searching", women's writing in a new era reveals a strong tendency toward self-identity, and in their writing series has presented a transformation of self-identiy, evolving mode, inner-spiritual track and multiple narrative style during different period. That is to say, their writings have shown congruity in logic in the aspects of social, spiritual and aesthetic values. This paper will discuss this from four levels. Chapter 1, "Feminist Writing and Self-identity", mainly deals with theories. It establishes the basis for feminist writing in a new era from such three levels as the way and object of feminist writing, the legitimacy of self-identity and the validity of self-identity. As the core issue and the inner impetus in feminist writing, self-identity is not only of the most significance in feminist writing, but of theoretical legitimacy in feminism, psychology, sociology, ethnics and philosophy. It can also penetrate the whole new era's texts of women's so as to realize the validity of logic explanation. Chapter 2, "the Evolving Mode of Self-identity", sums up and demonstrates three modes of self-identity in feminist writing based upon detailly analysis. The first is social identity through self-salvage, and the representative writers are those from the late 70s to the early 80s as Zhang Jie, Zhang Xinxin and Zhang Kangkang etc. The second is gender identity through dismantling tradition, as in works of Wang Anyi, Tie Ning, Yi Lei, Tang Yaping and Zhai Yongming in the middle 80s. The third is personal identity through cultural building as Chen Ran, Lin Bai and Xu Xiaobin in the 90s. Each mode is demonstrated in respective cultural context through careful reading of the texts, which is also a process of a gradual deepening of a expanding modernity of self-identity's spiritual space. At the same time, this chapter also offers an analysis of the improvement and limitation followed by the self-building in feminist writing of each mode. Chapter 3, "Inner Spiritual Track of Self-identity", analyzes women's spiritual factors in their writing and their changing track. The first is a discussion of "anxiety" and "depressing memory" from the level of psychology, spirit and culture, which are regarded as both obstacle and impetus of self-identity. Next is self-identity's image cast upon intimate relationship, that is, Electra complex, Oedipus complex, homosexuality and heterosexuality among women. The last is an analysis of narcissism that is the source and result of the above intimate relationship, which from individual narcissism to a age's or cultural narcissism, that is from sub-consciousness to historic scene, directly results in the plight of women writers and their writings. Chapter 4, "Self-identity's Narrative Style", emphasizes upon the aesthetic values of feminist writing in the new era. Firstly, the way of narration experienced from on-the-spot record, fiction to autobiography. Secondly, the voice of narration evolves from ex-personal, authorial to individual voice. Thirdly, memory becomes the perspective of women's history. Supported by new narrative theory, this chapter points out that narrative style is closely bound up with the change of self-identity's modes, that is it strengthens self-identity in women's writing and is influenced by its modes' change. At the end of this paper, all the problems above are given general answers and some new solutions are put forward toward present plight of feminist writing. The building of women's self-identity should walk out of the incarceration of personal identity and build the sense of community through their protest against this male-centered culture. The spirit of women's identity should get rid of narcissism and realize relative harmony with the male and the society. As to the voice of narration, women writers may try to construct a collective voice which is absent in Chinese women's writing.