A Comparative Study of Mulan in The Song of Mulan and The Woman Warrior
Abstract
Maxine Hong Kingston is the first Chinese American who secures an important place for Chinese American literature in American literary world. Her first novel The Woman Warrior reproduced the story of Mulan, the well-known heroine of The Song of Mulan. The Song of Mulan was composed in the Southern and Northern Dynasties by an anonymous writer. The two works both portray Mulan as a heroine. However, different backgrounds have different effects on the features of Mulan. Mulan in The Woman Warrior is a modern feminist under the impact of American culture while Mulan in The Song of Mulan is a traditional woman under the impact of Chinese culture. Through a comparative study of Mulan, this thesis draws a conclusion that the east and west cultures make influence on Mulan. And the east and west cultures have reached in tergration through the difficult process of clashing and confronting.
Key Words: The Woman Warrior; The Song of Mulan; Feminism; Racial Discrimination
摘要
美國華裔女作家瑪克辛•洪•金斯敦是第1位成功使美國華裔文學為美國主流文化接受的華裔作家。在其處女作《女勇士》中，她改寫了《木蘭詩》中家喻戶曉的巾幗英雄花木蘭的故事。《女勇士》和《木蘭詩》都將木蘭描述成了英雄。然而，作品中迥異的時代背景卻賦予了木蘭不同的性格特點。《女勇士》中的木蘭是1個深受美國文化影響的現代女性，而《木蘭詩》中的木蘭是1個儒道文化統治下的`傳統婦女。通過對木蘭形象的對比研究，本文總結出作品中的人物塑造受到了東西方文化的影響，同時東西方文化在長期的衝突、磨合之後也已經達到了融合。
關鍵詞：《女勇士》、《木蘭詩》、女性主義、種族歧視