Feminism and Metafiction The Distortion of Reality Construction

Feminism and Metafiction: The Distortion of Reality, Construction of History, and Intertextuality in Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior

Thesis While some existing critiques sees The Woman Warrior as a token Asian text which perpetuates exotifying and Orientalist notions of Asian identity, I am arguing that the text must be understood in its own tradition, counteracting the reductionist appropriation of the text as part of the multicultural American academy. Further, I argue that a metafictional reading of The Woman Warrior creates space for and is closely linked to an Asian American feminist perspective of themes in The Woman Warrior.

Outline Introduction Overview 1. 2. Ø 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Addressing Existing Critique Metafiction Intertextuality Distortion of Reality Construction of History Conclusion

Intertextuality Chapter 2, “White Tigers, ” focuses on the popular Chinese folklore of Fa Mu Lan. Fiction versus memoir? Textual evidence [clouds as “an ink wash, ” “distant peaks as if shaded by pencil, ” rocks like “charcoal rubbings, ” and a bird as “two black strokes”( 20)].

Challenging Stereotypes Dismantling binaries Subverting familiar stereotypes Creating a complex representation of Asian women

Conclusion A metafictional reading of The Woman Warrior creates space for and is closely linked to a feminist analyses of its themes.