Date of Award
5-11-2025
Date Published
June 2025
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Fine Arts (MFA)
Department
Illustration
Advisor(s)
Chris Wildrick
Second Advisor
Normandie Luscher
Keywords
Chinese Classical Literature;Female protagonist;Tang chuanqi
Abstract
This paper aims to analyze the characteristics and narrative structures of female hero characters in Tang Dynasty chuanqi stories, using renowned works from Chinese literature, such as Nie Yinniang, Hongxian, and The Biography of Xie Xiaoe as examples. It also explores the literary development and historical context that contributed to the formation of these figures. Furthermore, this study examines the connections between the female heroes in Tang chuanqi and the contemporary social environment. It investigates how the political landscape and women's status during the Tang Dynasty influenced the actions of these female heroes and how these stories, in turn, reflect the historical context of their time. This paper also incorporates modern feminist perspectives to analyze these characters and discusses the visual adaptations inspired by these narratives. It can thus be argued that, while these figures break away from traditional female roles and gender stereotypes, their narratives still reflect the constraints of the feudal order. This phenomenon highlights the early conceptualization of gender representation and female heroism in Chinese classical literature. Finally, the author has created a comic featuring a female hero as the protagonist, attempting to reinterpret and reshape the classic image of Tang chuanqi female heroes from a modern perspective.
Access
Open Access
Recommended Citation
Zhang, Jingya, "AN ANALYSIS OF FEMALE HERO IMAGERY IN TANG CHUANQI" (2025). Theses - ALL. 958.
https://surface.syr.edu/thesis/958
