chinese lit Flashcards
(14 cards)
beginning od chinese american lit
emerged in the 19th century
only recently came to be studied, as much of it was written in Chinese
early works were realist or autobiographical, the authors mostly workers and students
Yung Wing – My Life in China and America (1909)
he was the first Chinese student to graduate from an American University
20th century
Sui Sin Far is one of the first Chinese Am. authors of fiction published in English language
the Chinese Exclusion Act
in 1943
he Chinese Exclusion Act
chinese American authors became more prolific and accepted after the lifting of
authors of 20th century chinese lit
Chin Yang Lee, Jade Snow Wong, Frank Chin, M.H. Kingston, Ha Jin, Amy Tan (The Joy Luck Club, 1989) , Gish Jen, C Pam Zhang, Celeste Ng
20th century of chinese lit
the literature did not gain a wide readership or scholarly attention until the 1960s and 70s
more and more books became best-sellers and authors began to win awards in the 1970s
Common features of chinese
genres: realism and autobiography in the beginning, has since greatly expanded
common themes: assimilation, tradition vs modernity, changes between generations
critical representation of social issues: cultural conflicts, generation gaps, and gender troubles
author of no name woman
maxine hong kingston
Maxine Hong Kingston
novelist, contributed to the feminist movement
received significant criticism for reinforcing racist stereotypes in her work
The Woman Warrior (1976), China Men (1980), Tripmaster Monkey: His Fake Book (1989), etc.
No name woman
The Woman Warrior – mix of autobiography, fiction, and Chinese folk tales; blending perspectives
Kingston refers to her mother’s historical tales as „talk-stories“
narrator of no name woman
1st perosn, most likely author herself
subjects matters
gender and sexuality, shane and silence, family, identity
theme of no name woman
When a community punishes one voice into silence, it harms its own memory.
