| Yan Geling published her Fusang in1996. This work had won her great success and was translated into English named The Lost Daughter of Happiness by Cathy Silber in2001. It was published simultaneously in the U.S. and Britain. Its English edition also became one of the bestsellers in Los Angeles Times in2001, owing to Yan’s special writing skills. It is well acclaimed by critics since its release both in Chinese and in English, too. Three perspectives are favored by critics:the study of Fusang’s female image, comparative study and the study of its narrative strategy. This thesis will analyze the novel from a new perspective, that is, Michel Foucault’s panopticism realized by means of gaze:gaze is not unidirectional but bidirectional. Although in the patriarchal world men are endowed with the power to cast their male gaze at women with the attempt to discipline and dominate them, women are not just submissively accepting it. On the contrary, they are aroused as the resistant side in the power relationship created by the traditional male gaze. They utilize their soft but persistent female gaze as a tool to counteract the male gaze and finally make a discipline on men.This thesis consists of three sections. The introduction part is the first one, which is composed of introductions about the author Yan Geling, her novel The Lost Daughter of Happiness and the literature review of this novel home and abroad.The second section is the major part of this thesis, including chapter two, chapter three and chapter four. Chapter two is mainly about the theoretical bases of this thesis, which is gaze and panopticism. Foucault develops his panopticism from Jeremy Betham’s panopticon—a circular and opened prison. Panopticism exercises its function of controlling and disciplining the gazed at object by means of gaze. The traditional gaze theory tells us that women are the weak part in the patriarchal power relationship, who can only accept men’s gaze submissively. However, Foucaut provides us a different interpretation. He insists that the modern world is an interconnected power net, everybody has his own position. Therefore, women also cast their female gaze back on men in order to resist their powerful male gaze.Chapter three narrates the traditional gaze men cast on women in the patriarchal world, that is, the two male characters Chris and Da Yong are casting their gazes on Fusang. Being the product of American patriarchy, Chris sets his cultural and engendered gaze on Fusang; while Da Yong is the product of Chinese patriarchy, he is also casting his engendered gaze on Fusang. These two male characters share the same intention while gazing at Fusang—discipline and dominate her.Chapter four is analyzing Fusang’s female gaze at these two men. Coming out as the rebellious part of the power relationship produced by the male’s gaze. Fusang is taking her silent, soft and forgiving female gaze as a way to discipline the two men. Both Chris and Da Yong are changed thoroughly by Fusang’s gaze. That is to say, Fusang has made a successful challenge to the patriarchal world by overturning the powerful male gaze.Section three is chapter five, which makes a conclusion of the whole thesis, calling up that we should pay more attention to the gaze phenomenon and treat each other evenly and friendly in order to construct a more beloving and harmonious world for us to live in. |
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