Bai Xianyong's Research On The Image Of A Woman In Huanhua

Through the ages,courtesans have been an important subject which writers are keen to explore and express. Through creating the image of these courtesans, no matter the radiant and talented ones in classical literature, the bourgeois and cunning ones in narrative novels at late Qing dynasty (such as courtesans in the novel of The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai),the high-leveled but hideous or suffering at the bottom ones in Chinesern mode literature, even the ambiguous female figures in gray area in contemporary literature, the intellectuals tried to identify their country and themselves as well as express their anxious about the social morality and national culture. This paper intends to start from the novels of Bai Xianyong to analyze the deep psychological motivations of this image pedigree via exploring the types and connotations of the courtesans in his works, and identify the significance of courtesans images created by Bai Xianyong in the history of literature through reviewing the depictions of brothels in Chinese classical literature, courtesans in modern Chinese literature and grey women in contemporary Chinese literature.The five parts that comprise the paper are as follows:In the introduction I define the concepts of pleasure quarter and women in pleasure quarter, discussing the different circumstances where qinglou nuzi, fengchen nuzi and jinu are applied, in terms of the users value orientation and literature thoughts. Then I illustrate why I apply the tern women in pleasure quarter and its connotation. Further more, I discuss the studies on women figures and women in pleasure quarter in Bai Xianyong's works. In the last of introduction,I demonstrate why I choose this topic,and several questions to be addressed.The main part of the paper is divided into three chapters. Chapter One focuses on the analysis of the image of the characters. Through the analysis of three different types, which are the sentimental?the dangerous and the submissive,the paper points out that these courtesans have three features in common: active in male world, lost in erotic world, and strayed both in soul and body. Those clearly highlight the differences of the image of courtesans between Bai's works and the others. They have been regarded as individuals with rich feelings and desires, instead of moral failures,menaces of public health, or a hateful special group. When shape this kind of image,Bai always starts in a human way, paying attention to their attitudes towards the male world, to their own erotic practice, and to the relationship between the soul and the body, describing their desire, struggle, confusion and frustration in their lives, then it achieves its goal destigmatize the courtesan.On the basis of the first chapter, Chapter Two explores the psychological motivations of Bai Xianyong in his works about the courtesan's image. Driven by the female complex in his heart, the sense of resistance to the traditional morality, the deep nostalgic consciousness and the narcissistic tendency of homosexuals, Bai created such a image of courtesan with strong artistic appeal.Chapter Three puts the courtesan image, shaped by Bai Xianyong, in the framework of the overall history of Chinese literature. It traces the succession and continuation of Bai's shaping of courtesan image and brothel literature of the Chinese classical literature history through the analysis of artistic techniques like his unique imaginary thinking, skillful white sketches and vivid character dialogue. Besides, it analyzes the subversion and transcendence of Bai Xianyong's writing on the images of courtesan in the history of moderm Chinese literature. Finally, it discusses the contribution and inspiration of Bai's writing on "grey women" to contemporary Chinese literature. It points out that when Bai Xianyong shapes the image of courtesan,he sets a good example to contemporary writers whether to the degree of moral intervention of the writer or the persistence of literature character, as well as in the perfect combination of localization and modernization.The conclusion part summarizes the viewpoint of the full text, pointing out Bai Xianyong's pleasure quarter writing's transcendental values and limitations. Taking women in pleasure quarter of female writers as reference, I illustrate the special writing methods that Bai Xianyong, a male writer, how steps over the sexual boundary.Since he senses and expresses the tragedies of women in pleasure quarter in depth, the value of Bai Xianyong's writing on pleasure quarter should not be ignored.