| Courtship and romance is a primary theme in many works of literature. The general public resists academic analysis subconsciously as they seem to prefer misty and romantic feelings which are typical of literary masterpieces like A Tale of Red Mansions in China and Romeo and Juliet in the West. Yet this ambiguous feeling might be keeping many innocent young people from the awareness of reality and misleading them toward possibly unfruitful pursuits of happiness. Research and academic explanation remains helpful in keeping people, especially the young, informed, rational and sensibly aware.As for previous findings of courtship, generally there are three models: the complementarity/ similarity model, stage model, interpersonal process model. The third model appears most comprehensive by providing several factors at different levels. Research on courtship in China is now blooming but in general is lacking (or not building on) systematic theories. The work of Yinhe Lin stands out for her proposals of female sexuality and liberation.My paper takes a female perspective by focusing on a specific group of educated young women in their 20s since they are better informed and seem to embody some of the most recent trends. A qualitative research approach is adopted to interpret the participants'behavior and mentality under specific contexts. As no previous research seems to have been done on the subject, grounded theory was adopted as the best way to get started on the inquiry process. In this style of research, theories emerge as more data is collected, and later data are used to check or modify the earlier theoretical conceptions. Thus in this thesis, analysis is made on how the female perspective is formed towards courtship through biological, educational, familial and media factors. 20 adults participated in extensive face-to-face interviews and an additional 78 college students in groups were consulted on ideas related to this research through during the spring of 2008. This thesis reports on and analyzes the content of their communication.Conclusions from the reported data show that the perspective of courtship is shifting towards greater self-realization as women become more aware of their own self identity with greater opportunities for independence materially and intellectually. This appears to be a transition period towards increasing equality of gender relationships. In this context, young women show great conflicts in intrapersonal development, yet are progressing in their social awareness. |
