林语堂笔下京华烟云中的女性形象

1、i摘要摘要作为一位享有盛誉的双语作家，林语堂在向西方国家介绍中国文化方面做出过巨大贡献。他一生完成了多部著作，其中有六部是以女性为主人公进行创作的，他对于特定时代的女性以及中国的文化有着独特的研究，他笔下的人物形象因负载着厚重的文化内涵在文学史上别具一格。京华烟云中由姚木兰领衔的众多女性，形象各异，各有各的美。姚木兰是其中最为出彩的女性，被人视为完美女性的典范。连作者本人也不掩饰对这个人物的喜爱与推崇。林语堂说过：“若为女儿身，必做木兰也” 。纵观京华烟云中众多女儿群像，她们大都美好。她们或机智聪慧，或温柔可人，虽都有一定的瑕疵，却都有各自的美好之处。而牛素云则是集众恶于一身，与她们的反差极大

2、。牛素云的张扬、跋扈、贪婪、自私、低俗、虚荣等都带给读者强烈的感觉。作者在对牛素云的人物刻画中，没有显现一丝出对女性应有的同情与关怀，这个局面的出现与作者潜意识里的男权意识有很大关联。林语堂在上个世纪三四十年代享誉中外文坛，其独特而复杂的女性观使过去和当代人们对于中国女性有了更加深刻的解读。时代在变，文化始终根深蒂固。因此，研究并解读这个融合中西文化色彩的作品，仍然具有深刻意义。关键词关键词：林语堂；京华烟云 ；文化；女性iiabstractas a reputable bilingual writer, lin yu-tang has made a great contribution of

3、 introducing chinese culture to the western world. lin has written a number of novels, of which six are about female-hero and the peking. although lin yu-tang and his literary have been controversial all the time, his characters were unique with profound cultural connotation in literary history. led

4、 by yao mulan in the peking, other different ladies also have their own beauty. as one of the most brilliant woman, yao mulan was regarded as the perfect model of woman. the author even couldnt help phrasing the lady. he said: if it is a woman, she must be like mulan throughout the peking, women are

5、 mostly good. they are smarter and wisdom, or gentle and virtuous, and all have their own beauty with flaws. while contrasting with them, niu suyun seems like an image of evil, and her publicity defiant, greedy selfishness, and vulgar vanity leaves a strong impact. the description of niu suyun shows

6、 no trace of the female sympathy and care, which has a deeprelationship with male chauvinism of subconscious. lin yu-tang was definitely famous in chinese and foreign literary in the 1930s and 1940s, and his unique and complex view of women gave an impressive interpretation of chinese women whenever

7、 in the past and contemporary. times are changing, but culture has always been deeply in our mind. therefore, exploring the fusion works of chinese and western culture, still has profound significance.key words: lin yu-tang; the peking; culture; femaleiiitable of contents摘要.iabstract.iitable of cont

8、ents .iiiintroduction.11.1 the value and womens life in peking.31.2 chinese women under feudal patriarchal system.41.3 cultural and philosophical background.5part two female images in moment in peking.82.1 mans desire-mulan.92.1.1 mulans nature.92.1.2 mulans love and marriage.102.2 sun mannia- ideal

9、ized figure of angelic submission.11conclusion.13works cited.151introductionlin yutang fought in the period of the may fourth movement with lu xun who was the main person in this movement. his writing style is impetuous and sharp in modern literary circles in 1930s. however, he started to write some

10、 essays with the character of humor and temperament. he originated and edited several magazines such as, the analects, the society, the universe wind and so on. then he and his all families moved overseas, and he published more than 40 species english works (12 species various academic works; 10 spe

11、cies prose, and essays set; 10 species novel, and literature biography; eight kinds of translated fiction) as a culture communicator using his excellent english ability. in 1960s and 1970s, lin yutang successively elected president of the international pen in taiwan and vice president of internation

12、al pen. besides, his novel moment in peking, was nominated for the nobel prize for literature. it can be said that lin yutangs contribution to literature is obvious, because he never stopped reading and writing and he is a unique presence in the process of chinese literature. from the beginning of t

13、he 1980s, many scholars are willing to write some essays about lin yutang. before 1980s, the main results of the previous studies were hu fengs theory of lin yu-tang and lu xuns essays critiquing humor and temperament literature advocated by lin yutang in the early. in addition, scholars were agains

14、t for these writings that lin yutang advocated chinese culture to the west. in 21st century, the researches for lin yutang entered a period of relative prosperity. wang zhaohe said this century needs lin yutang. the second edition of lin yutangs essays and novels set on the mainland, and the adaptat

15、ion of the moment in peking shows the recognition of readers to lin yutangs writing. compared with previous studies, there was a notable feature that the number of researches were big, the perspectives were innovated and the researches about fictions developed even they were not perfect in this phra

16、se. there is another feature in this period when it is the emergence of numerous master papers and doctoral dissertations, which can be seen there are a number of rising stas in this areas. however, researchers mainly studied the essays of lin yutang, and ignored his contributions in the field of no

17、vel.everything was connected to each other in the world, and lin yutang created a colorful and beautiful scene. based on his interpretation of womens relationships in the novel, we can excavate the value of lin yutangs novels from another side. besides, the neglect of the academic study of relations

18、hip between women in his novels doesnt mean its worthlessness. compared to the analysis of the figures and the conception of woman, the relationship couldnt be different, which enriches the research of lins novel to some extent and injects fresh blood into the understanding of woman in lins novel. l

19、ast but not least, the author found that the 2relationship of woman in lins novel is typical according to the comparison of studying. there is no doubt that it is reasonable deeply. there are some researches calling lins novel the “culture novel”. then, whats the relationship between woman and cultu

20、re? its worthwhile to think and explore. so the author researched lin yutangs novel from the viewpoint of woman. in addition, the author explored it from three points such as the type, the factors and the influences of the narration of the relationship of woman. in this way, the author aimed to reve

21、al the unique value of woman in lins novel.3part one womens life in moment in pekingit seems that lin yutangs intellectual, social, and religious background means his overall oanti-feminist. brought up in such a religious and patriarchal society, lin yutang was well-educated and imposed to the socie

22、ty patriarchal power over womens all lives. in that society, women were limited in so many aspects. even women werent respected by men to some degree. not like today ladies are shown respect and kindness in public. if a man insults a woman in public, he would be censured by others. in this novel, li

23、n shows sympathy to woman in that society. as we all know, so many girls did not have a chance to get proper education and take up their loving job outside like a mam. they also wanted to go to college to learn the knowledge, and they also wanted to get married with the man they chose by themselves

24、rather than the man who was pushed by parents. some women truly had the ability to realize their dreams and ambitions, and what they needed was just a chance to try. when they were little, the vague ideals were shaped in their adolescent minds, which contains they should listen to their parents, and

25、 they just need to care for their husband rather than the outside matters, or their whole life was just for the family. these were the lovely quiet women or we can call silent heroines, who got married with their husbands either worthy or unworthy. what they left was a simple tombstone standing an e

26、arthen mound among wild wood, but the great events were created by those brave men and they were recorded in the history forever. 1.1 the value and womens life in pekingthe particularity of lin yutang and his literary lies: with the pouring of western culture, the world of domestic ideology and cult

27、ure stepped into a heated discussion for chinese and western culture in the end of 19th century and early 20th century. lins english works have 40 species, including novels and literary biographies of ten, essays and essay collections of ten, eight kinds of translation of chinese literature, and oth

28、er twelve academic works. written from different perspectives for introducing chinese culture of all aspects to western readers, the english works show the art of chinese life and wisdom in lin yu-tangs eyes. lin yu-tang is just like a cultural ambassador, and his effort of dissemination of chinese

29、culture has been widely recognized in western society. in 1940, lin yu-tang got his doctors degree in ai myra university of new york and was praised that lin yutang, a philosopher, wit and writer, is a true patriot or just a citizen. besides, your excellent literary accomplishments have reached to a

30、 tip where predecessors have never achieved. your wonderful writing made the native english speakers shamed and admired. in the western society, lin yu-tang fully realized his cultural 4idea of two feet in chinese and western cultures, and the universe article. 1.2 chinese women under feudal patriar

31、chal systemthe story including three big families takes place in the first half of 20th century. it is the most tumultuous period in chinas 5000 years history when the qing government was taken over by the beiyang government, then was the following invasion of foreign imperialism. chinese women also

32、 have experienced a long time of oppression, which led to the degradation and abasement of them to a great extent whenever at that time. in fact, the situation that chinese women are suffering from oppression and violence is a serious under the influence of patriarchal clan system. without political

33、 rights, women were considered inferior to men life and lost much of their decision-making power in political, economic and family life. in most of lin yu-tangs novels, especially in this one, the female characters are placed in this kind of social background. due to the dependence of economy, women

34、 didnt have the right to inherit of their own. also, there is no proper ways of they to get some income.women have no social status, and they can just listen to the father unconditionally before their marriage and her husband after marriage. if their husband dies, she has to follow her son, which we

35、 can say follow. without the protection of their husband, they were looked down upon by others. whats more, they didnt owe the right to go school for new knowledge and the access to participating in some public social activities. they have to obey their parents and the matchmakers. if the spouse die

36、s, the ladies are not allowed to get married again for the loyalty to the dead husband or the fame of the family. what they have suffered were the physical and mental torture. as we all know, the majority of women not only suffer the pain of conservative foot, but also endure polygamy family system.

37、 for centuries, small feet women is considered to be synonymous with chinese women western powers went on the invasion of china after the opium war in 1840, which was the plight time for chinese girls. the full-scale war of aggression happened in 1937, which made more than 3000 chinese women and chi

38、ldren killed. within a month, nanjing was occupied fully and japanese troops committed chinese women were forced into an unprecedented era. in order to get national salvation and freedom, chinese women and the whole country launched a persistent and persevering fight. taiping heavenly kingdom has ca

39、used series of matters for gender equality. in 1898, reform movement fought against foot-binding and established schools for women. and in 1911, the revolution of 1911 stimulated the feminist movement gave women the right to participate in political affairs, all of which were the promotion of the ch

40、inese womens 5awakening. however, all their efforts couldnt fundamentally change the situation of women in china. actually, it is the historical situation of women at that time in china, so no one can change it.1.3 cultural and philosophical backgroundalthough western cultural stepped into our life

41、rapidly and so many chinese old ideas and traditions have been broken, chinese traditional culture and philosophy still influence chinese woman in beijing to great extent. the traditions in china, such as taoism, buddhism and confucianism leave huge influences. daoism is also a basis of tradition in

42、 china. it is connected with the hermit and far and quite mountains all the time. whats more, it focuses on worshipping a hermits life, training spiritual and prolonging human life. or we can say, banishing terrible worries and concerns. yao is considered as the embodiment of taoist culture. as a we

43、althy businessman, he had a indulgent life when young. but gradually he became a real monk even put down the business management, and handed over all the matters to his wifes brother. what he cared are books, antiques and his children. in the management of family, he also believed freedom and democr

44、acy. for the society, he advocated taoism to help those people in need. under his leading,niu suyun realized her mistakes, and sacrificed herself to the country. mulan, influenced by his father, treated everyone equally whenever who he was. in particular, mulans tolerance for others, even for those

45、who had hurt her, was precious at that time. she chose to forgive and offer help, especially for niu suyun.on the one hand, buddhism stimulates the general public to do some charitable work to some degree. on the other hand, it gives right reasons to those people who want to find justification of fa

46、ilure or misfortune. this is why people would like to believe buddhism. so, they started to believe that their failure resulted from their previous behavior, and this is the fate they deserve. under oppression of feudal background, it is the only way to give comfort to their suffering, especially fo

47、r women. in patriarchal societies, they naturally believe that buddhism and are willing to accept the tragic destiny with no any complaints. for example, chen ma, as a servant of widow, lost son her but she did not complain about the war and her unlucky fate because of it. on the contrary, she was f

48、riendly to others and did her work seriously. for several years, she has been looking for her son and made clothes for her son every year. it was the buddhist meditation, and it was not only physical experiences but also process in spirit. luckily, lin was affected by the motherly devotion. so after

49、 chen ma died, her son found his loving mother after so many arrangements missing each other. such a kind lady finally had a pleasing ending. another example is niu suyun, she left the home, where she couldnt stand her husband and sister-in-laws life style. she could not stand any injustice because

50、her former superior life in her own family. for money, she became drag queen and she had to convey drugs secretly for japanese invaders. 6gradually she was changed by mulan and realized the importance of nation. delivering messages for the revolution and her sacrifice was her ending. this is a sente

51、nce from buddhist textsa butcher becomes a buddha the moment he drops his sword. confucianism was founded by confucius, and it was spread in china after the death of confucius. since were talking about women in peking, we need to know more standards about it. a good lady in confucian should have thr

52、ee obeys and four virtues. in fact, they were according to the standards set by the desire of men. three means that a woman has to listen to her father before marriage, and obey her husband after the marriage and follow her child if her husband dies. four virtues for women are womens characters, tal

53、king ways, achievements of women and womens appearance. actually, they focus on chinese women. in general, chinese women also followed confucian in 19 century, which emphasizes the unit family. in chinese family, it is necessary to ensure grade levels and responsibilities. daughter should obey the f

54、ather and assist mothers. in the past more than 2000 years, inequality and womens access to these restrictive criteria were taken for granted because of their dependence on men in economy. chinese women naturally accepted their parents arranged marriage and thought a shameful act for remarriage of w

55、idows. a lady, being a widow from a very young age and doing that in her whole life, will greatly praised by the society even get a formal honorary arch to commemorate their chastity and fidelity. all of these are the serious oppressing burden of chinese women under the patriarchal society. for thou

56、sands of years, it is a patriarchal and feudal society in china based on the confucian concept.moment in peking describes the life of women in 20 century of china, which has an elaborate structure and describes a unique status of young male and female. firstly, it pays attention to the social and hi

57、storical background, then it focuses on the angel-yao mulan of the novel in detail, who is the ideal woman in lin yu-tangs eyes. she appears to be a contradiction figure, both traditional and modern, both ideal and real, both self-conscious and yield social practice. so she is the image of a perfect

58、 angel according to the patriarchal demands on women in patriarchy society. sun manni is the submissive angel of ideal, and she is a sacrificial of feudal confucianism and paternity, especially after she became a virgin widow and regarded buddhist as her own life belief. then, this article discusses

59、 niu suyun, who represented womens struggle against the feudal patriarchal. niu suyun pursued freedom, independence and pride, so she failed to comply with the feudal obligations even deliver a child. in spite of repeating loss, she finally completed the remodeling of personality by donating her lif

60、e. the fates of the three women show different choices for different women facing feudal patriarchal. 7compliance or resistance needs to pay a huge price. submission means giving up and resistance means the price of life. according to some female images, lin yu-tang shows us the contradiction of chi