Writing Gender: Research On Several Female Images In Male Text In Tang China

When it comes to the female image in Tang China,it has long been perceived that women of Tang enjoyed a higher social status and were less bounded by Confucianism in academics.However,with a growing number of unearthed epitaphs in Tang Dynasty and the increasing attentions paid to narrative texts,scholars recently have been rethinking on the above one-sided view,arguing for a thorough re-examination on the notions of gender which define and advocate the proper behavior of women and the image of ideal women.In this context,my study will be based on the history of concepts and explore the subtle relationships among female images,writing texts and gender discourse.The first chapter of my study centers on the historical texts written by official government in early Tang,analyzing how official historians,who served the Emperor of Tang,selected and rewrote the historical records left by the previous dynasties and identifying the guidelines official government employed to judge the women in history.It is found in my research that the official narration of historical women is equivocal against Confucianism.On the one hand,the state paid close attention to the women of previous generations who kept virtue after their husbands’ death and loyalty to the regime they belonged to.By furtherly re-shaping those women’s images,the official government of Tang hoped to construct the orthodoxy and legitimacy of its own regime and lead women under its sovereign to establish a kind of recognition on female virtue of "from one to end" ae well as the newly born regime.On the other hand,however,the official gender discourse does’ t strictly follow women’s role defined by Confucianism,such as women are inside while men outside and inner words can’t be heard by the outer.Focusing on the epitaphs of Zaishinü,who were not get married,in Tang China,the second chapter discusses the ideal image of daughters from gentry class.Though those lavishing praises in epitaphs,we notice that gender discourse made by fathers and bothers revolves around the consciousness of family and ancestry,mingling together with Confucianism and emotionism.For this reason,here are two patterns of gender relation practice in gentry class.One is equality between women and men,the other women are inferior to men.For the former one,daughters won their fathers affection and material cosset,enjoyed the same privilege of being educated as their bothers did,and were also regarded as one of the undertakers of family filial piety.As for the latter pattern,Zaishinü were also expected to cultivate a temperament of chaste,gentle,complaisant and obedience though the training of Nüyi and be cultivated but won’t let it take up the time for needlework in order to meet the needs of future marriage.In the third part of my study,we elaborate on the tales of Fox in Tang China and exam how literatus as an individual created female literature figures and the gender discourse behind those figures.After a careful trace of the images of fox in history,it is discovered Tang Dynasty is the key stage for female fox to be endowed with a characteristic of mesmerizing in literature.The image of female fox in male writing texts in Tang China is actually a mixture of a series of factors,including male’s emotion,desire,the concept of gentry family and Confucianism.Outside the family,female fox is the representation of those tantalizing and voluptuous prostitutes and concubines.Because of their humble origins,they can’t be protected by Confuciansim and thus their relationship with literati is of great vulnerability.However,if the female fox is lucky enough to get married with the man and become an insider,then virtue and morality surprisely substitute seductively charm as her main character.Such figure which incorporates appealing look and lofty character reflects the exact the struggle made by literati among emotion,desire and reason in late Tang.In a word,the female images in male’s writing texts in Tang China vary a lot,depending on the literary genres authors employed,the position held by the narrator,the author’s own perception of female values and his relationship with the the woman involved in his writing as well as the woman’s social status.