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ORCID
N/A
Access Type
Open Access Thesis
Document Type
thesis
Degree Program
Chinese
Degree Type
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Year Degree Awarded
2018
Month Degree Awarded
September
Abstract
As a novel on contemporary issues (shishi xiaoshuo 时事小说), the unfinished novel The Stone of Goddess Nüwa (Nüwa shi 女娲石; 1904-1905) recounts a story about new women’s attempts to save the nation, which is a reflection of late-Qing China. From a historical perspective, I aim to provide a study of the Nüwa stone and characterization of new women in the novel with the help of multiple intertexts. My thesis explores how the stone and the characterization elaborate the theme and design of the novel: new women saving the nation, which includes radical ideas for women and national salvation in the late Qing. Against the socio-cultural context of The Stone of Goddess Nüwa, I argue that through the characterization and narrative designs of the stone, the novel presents its explorations to solve social and political problems for national salvation, in which female power plays a central and crucial role. This thesis endeavors to both enrich the understanding and value of The Stone of Goddess Nüwa from a historical perspective and call critical attention to its meaning in the decades’ exploration of improving both China and Chinese women in literary works from the late Qing.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.7275/12683688
First Advisor
Elena Suet-Ying Chiu
Second Advisor
Zhongwei Shen
Third Advisor
Enhua Zhang
Recommended Citation
Li, Zhimo, "A Study of the Intertexts in The Stone Of Goddess Nüwa (Nüwa Shi 女娲石)" (2018). Masters Theses. 707.
https://doi.org/10.7275/12683688
https://scholarworks.umass.edu/masters_theses_2/707