The Image of Women in “Jin Ping Mei” from the Perspective of Gender Performativity —Taking Pan Jinlian, Li Pinger as Examples
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54097/7sv0ez02Keywords:
Jing Ping Mei; gender performativity; Judith Butler; portrayal of women.Abstract
The many distinctive and controversial female characters portrayed in “Jin Ping Mei” have become the focus of academic research. Previous studies have mostly been limited to moral criticism at the socio-historical level, ignoring the inherent complexity and dynamism of how these characters, as independent individuals, form a gendered subject. This paper introduces Judith Butler's theory of gender performativity, focusing on the formation process of this gender subject. This study argues that the feminine traits of characters such as Pan Jinlian and Li Pinger in the novel are not inherent, but rather gradually constructed through a series of repetitive and strategic social performances within the broader context of a patriarchal society. At the same time, this study pays attention to the instability in the process of constructing the female subject in the work, identifying certain traits exhibited by the novel’s female characters during their gender construction that deviate from their biological sex. In essence, this research aims to offer a unique perspective on the gender studies of “Jin Ping Mei” through the theory of gender performativity.
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