Beauty and War: Popular Tastes in Pulp Fiction during Wartime China

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20K00364
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 02020:Chinese literature-related
• Research Institution: Japan Women's University
• Principal Investigator: SUGIMURA Akiko 日本女子大学, 文学部, 教授 (50334793)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 戦争 / 美女表象 / 通俗小説

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study presents an analysis of the portrayal of beauty in the works of popular writers Xu Xu and Wumingshi during the period of the Anti-Japanese War in the 1940s. As the research outcome, two significant points are delineated. Firstly, it elucidates the bifurcation of the deaths of the beauties within the narratives. Namely, the passive fate dictated by male patriarchy and, conversely, the active destiny chosen for the sake of patriotism and ethnicity. Secondly, it remarks upon the observation that works categorized as popular novels often depict a scenario where the weak are further relegated to positions of vulnerability. The lineage of unfortunate beauties, as discerned, resonates within the traditions of Chinese literature, thus paving the way for further evolution and deepening of research, ultimately contributing to the broader field of Chinese literary studies.

Free Research Field

中国文学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

中国本国では二項対立的な雅俗概念によって下位に置かれがちな通俗小説について、1940年代の作品分析を通じて抗日戦争期の読者の嗜好が明らかになった。それは、男性主人公の大義名分の下で、美しい女性登場人物はほぼ必ず不幸に陥るという特徴である。女性登場人物の美貌に課せられた不幸な運命は、民族主義的愛国心を強く鼓舞する役割が負わされている。こうしたジェンダー化された運命は、文学と政治が密接につながっていることを物語っているだろう。1940年代中国の通俗小説やジェンダー表象およびそれらの政治性に着眼した研究という点において、従来にない視点の提供となっており学術的意義は大きい。