Crime And Transgression:A Study On The Female Groups With Negative Images In Song Dynasty

In the history of female development in ancient China,female images in Song Dynasty showed a tendency of enrichment.On the one hand,there has been a significant increase in the records of female groups showing positive images.In historical materials such as epitaph,there are many positive images of women from multiple perspectives,such as submissive,filial and respectful,diligent and thrifty in household management,knowledgeable about books and courtesy,forbearing and tenacious,tolerant and not jealous,loyal,righteous and strict.On the other hand,the types of female groups with negative images in the Song Dynasty also increased.The male writers in Song Dynasty also recorded many women who did not conform to the norms of traditional female social roles at that time and showed character defects such as evil,disgusting,broad-mouthed,and bad morals.These two aspects fully present the era style of women in Song Dynasty.At present,the academic circles have done many studies on the female groups with positive images in the Song Dynasty,but there is no systematic study on the female groups with negative images in the Song Dynasty.Contrary to the social norms of traditional female social roles in the Song Dynasty,negative images refer to female images that are either unrespectful,or unchaste,or submissive,or intolerant,or unkind,or unreasonable.For these women,male writers generally refer to them as "wicked women".But this title is full of moral evaluations,such as fierce jealousy,unfilial piety,laziness,acrimony,rude,passionate,pungent,drinking,and gambling.Women are all placed at a disadvantage of moral condemnation,and the weakness of human nature has also been imposed.Women,so the term "bad women" cannot be used in strict classification of female images.This article divides the female groups with negative images in the Song Dynasty into five types: "jealous,fierce,violent,poisonous,and demon".The jealous women in Song Dynasty were women who violated the family relationship of multiple concubines.In the patriarchal society of the Song Dynasty,men held the right to the existence of marriage,and women were legally and forcefully imprisoned in the family room.In a multi-concubine family,husbands must have different favors,and wives and concubines would inevitably be jealous of each other.In this civil war in the family,jealous women used extreme methods such as concubine abuse,husband beating,suicide,and murder to resist the monogamous and polyconcubine marriage system formed over thousands of years.This is tantamount to hitting the stone with an egg.It can change the unreasonable marriage system,but it deepens men’s contempt for jealous women.The shrew in Song Dynasty was a woman who violated the family role of "women are strong and husbands are weak" and "mothers are loving and fathers are strict".With the improvement of economic status in the Song Dynasty,families have more right to speak,so it is difficult for wives to control themselves in some families in the Song Dynasty.Wives often disregard the constraints of the "three cardinal guides",override their husbands,and humiliate their husbands at will.The fierce daughter-in-law regards her aunt as a burden and treats her abuse indiscriminately;Motherhood is for the benefit or parent-child,and it is not loving to the next.In the eyes of male writers,shrew doesn’t pay attention to family ethics order,which not only destroys the discipline,but also is not conducive to family stability.The slut in Song Dynasty refers to women who break away from the bondage and obligation of Chinese traditional marriage relationship."Slut" is the standard of women’s sexual morality formulated by the patriarchal society.Under the feudal marriage system,the conclusion of the marital relationship between men and women only depends on parents’ orders and matchmakers’ words,but there are countless tragedies caused by improper matching.Some women are unwilling to succumb to this evil marriage that stifles human nature,ignoring the moral condemnation of public opinion and being severely punished by law,and are willing to bear the crime of "losing their virginity and committing adultery".Poison women in Song Dynasty refer to women who seriously violate public moral cognition.Under the feudal arranged marriage and polygamous marriage system,it is rare to establish a firm emotional foundation.Under such circumstances,some women regard their husbands as an "obstacle" between them after having an affair,and even take the deformed way of killing their husbands in order to remove the obstacle.Those poisonous women who kill their wives and concubines treat their wives and concubines like worms,and the lives of their wives and concubines are so humble and insignificant in front of them.Under the temptation of interests,other poisonous women do not hesitate to take risks and harm innocent people.The temptress in Song Dynasty refers to the women who participated in the folk religious activities prohibited by the government.Folk witchcraft prevailed in Song Dynasty,and there were many female witches.Some witches swindle and cheat,collude with the government and do evil.In Song Dynasty,various forms of folk secret associations,such as secret sects and congregations,widely absorbed female believers.The ruling class called them "temptress","witch","magic mother" and "witch",accusing them of encroaching on male rights and destroying ethics.However,in the final analysis,these women are just some vulnerable groups who want to find a living.In the history of the negative image of women in ancient China,various types have all appeared in the Song Dynasty.Only by paying attention to both positive and negative female images can we construct a complete study of female image history in the Song Dynasty.