
Untamed Shrews
Negotiating New Womanhood in Modern China
Shu Yang(Author)
Cornell University East Asia Program (Publisher)
Published on 15. July 2023
Book
Hardback
252 pages
978-1-5017-7061-6 (ISBN)
Description
Untamed Shrews traces the evolution of unruly women in Chinese literature, from the reviled "shrew" to the celebrated "new woman." Notorious for her violence, jealousy, and promiscuity, the character of the shrew personified the threat of unruly femininity to the Confucian social order and served as a justification for punishing any woman exhibiting these qualities. In this book, Shu Yang connects these shrewish qualities to symbols of female empowerment in modern China.
Rather than meeting her demise, the shrew persisted, and her negative qualities became the basis for many forms of the new woman, ranging from the early Republican suffragettes and Chinese Noras, to the Communist and socialist radicals. Criticism of the shrew endured, but her vicious, sexualized, and transgressive nature became a source of pride, placing her among the ranks of liberated female models.
Untamed Shrews shows that whether male writers and the state hate, fear, or love them, there will always be a place for the vitality of unruly women. Unlike in imperial times, the shrew in modern China stayed untamed as an inspiration for the new woman.
Rather than meeting her demise, the shrew persisted, and her negative qualities became the basis for many forms of the new woman, ranging from the early Republican suffragettes and Chinese Noras, to the Communist and socialist radicals. Criticism of the shrew endured, but her vicious, sexualized, and transgressive nature became a source of pride, placing her among the ranks of liberated female models.
Untamed Shrews shows that whether male writers and the state hate, fear, or love them, there will always be a place for the vitality of unruly women. Unlike in imperial times, the shrew in modern China stayed untamed as an inspiration for the new woman.
Reviews / Votes
Through a thorough textual analysis, this book will inspire future research projects among specialists and ignite the interest of general readers in the depiction of women in Chinese literature, while the power of the shrew continues to illuminate the stage of modern China.(Chinese Literature: Essays, Articles, Reviews)
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United States
Publishing group
Cornell University Press
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paper over boards
Illustrations
6 b&w halftones - 6 Halftones, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Thickness: 24 mm
Weight
907 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5017-7061-6 (9781501770616)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
07/2023
Cornell University East Asia Program
€34.49
Available for download
Person
Shu Yang is Assistant Professor and Advisor of Chinese in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at Western Michigan University.