The Matrimonial Value Orientation In The Poems And Essays By Li Qingzhao And Zhu Shuzhen

Li Qingzhao and Zhu Shuzhen are the two great comparable poetesses in the literary field of the Song Dynasty. They can even be regarded as outstanding among the female writers and their literary achievements have had profound influence on later ages. Based on the results of previous researches and with the poems and essays by Li Qingzhao and Zhu Shuzhen as texts, this thesis makes a comparative study of Li Qingzhao and Zhu Shuzhen from the new perspective of matrimonial value orientation.This thesis mainly consists of introduction and three chapters.The introduction, first of all, gives a brief introduction of matrimonial value orientation and its types, and elaborates on the relationship and difference between marriage and love. Next, it makes a brief review of the status quo of research on Li Qingzhao and Zhu Shuzhen, especially on their marriage condition in the academic world. Then, it introduces the research ideas of this thesis.Chapter One, based on the works of Li Qingzhao and Zhu Shuzhen, in three parts, discusses the external reasons for the formation of their matrimonial value orientation. The first part expounds that against the background in which the feudal ethical codes were widely observed in the Song Dynasty and under the influence of the viewpoint on marriage, a marriage between families of equal social rank and similar financial condition, their parents held different attitudes towards their marriage, which resulted in the different ending of marriage. The second part, from their totally different marriage life, analyzes Li Qingzhao's matrimonial value orientation of pursuing perfect match and Zhu Shuzhen's matrimonial value orientation of wishing for like-minded match. The third part describes the unfortunate ending of their marriage, and their miserable life in old age. Li Qingzhao's remarriage and divorce again exhibit her matrimonial value orientation of pursuing integrity and being upright and unyielding and refusing to continue her unhappy marriage, and Zhu Shuzhen's experience of getting no true love from her husband and pursuing love outside her marriage shows her matrimonial value orientation of pursuing true love at all costs.Chapter Two, based on the works of Li Qingzhao and Zhu Shuzhen, in three parts, discusses the internal reasons for the formation of their matrimonial value orientation. The first part, from the perspective of female psychological factors, analyzes their matrimonial value orientation that they required that their spouse's spiritual life and spiritual pursuit accord with theirs. The second part, from the perspective of female physiological factors, expounds their matrimonial value orientation that they attached importance to female sexual needs. The third part, from the perspective of female ethical factors, expounds their matrimonial value orientation of pursuing females' equality to males when women were under the shackles of the traditional feudal ethics that women were inferior to men.Chapter Three is the extended part of this thesis. This chapter is divided into two parts to discuss the special role Li Qingzhao and Zhu Shuzhen's love and marriage experiences played in their literary achievements. The first part compares their works with those describing women by the main male writers in the Song Dynasty such as Su Shi, Liu Yong, Yan Jidao, Xin Qiji, Ouyang Xiu, etc. so as to analyze Li Qingzhao and Zhu Shuzhen's writing characteristics different from those of the male writers. The second part compares their works with the poems and essays by the quite famous female writers in the literary history such as Zhuo Wenjun, Cai Wenji, Xue Tao, Yu Xuanji, Huaruifuren, Ms.Wei, Wu Shuji, Zhang Yuniang, etc. so as to analyze Li Qingzhao and Zhu Shuzhen's literary position different from theirs.