Dragonflies: Fiction by Chinese Women in the Twentieth Century (Cornell East Asia, No. 115) (Cornell East Asia Series)

Dragonflies: Fiction by Chinese Women in the Twentieth Century is an anthology containing twelve selections ranging from short stories to novellas, and spans the century from the May Fourth Movement to the 1990s. Among the eleven authors represented are Ling Shuhua, Bing Xin, Zhang Ailing and Wang Anyi. Rather than focusing on revolutionary or heroic role models, the selected works portray women struggling to deal with the conflicting demands of tradition and modernity in a rapidly changing society. The most recent story in the collection, Wang Anyi=s coolly analytical but heartbreaking "Sisters" (1996), illustrates the persistence of traditional social norms, while Jiang Zidan=s "Waiting for Dusk" (1990) depicts a woman oppressed by nature itself. The introductory essay by Shu ning Sciban traces the evolution of fiction by women writers in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong during the twentieth century. Dragonflies will appeal to readers with an interest in modern China, Chinese literature and gender studies.