Fate and Resistance: A Cross-Cultural Comparative Study of Du Shiniang and Medea from a Feminist Perspective

DOI: https://doi.org/10.62517/jhet.202615342

Author(s)

Jiayi Cai

Affiliation(s)

College of Liberal Arts, Yancheng Normal University, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China

Abstract

In the research field of comparative literature and feminism, tragic female figures have long been a classic research topic in ancient Chinese and Western literature. Medea in Medea by Euripides and Du Shiniang in Du Shiniang Sinks Her Treasure Chest in Anger from Stories to Caution the World come from different civilizations and ages. Oppressed by patriarchy and destined fate, both heroines resort to extreme resistance and fall into tragic endings[1,2]. Current researches mostly conduct separate researches on the two characters but lack systematic cross-cultural comparison based on fatalistic tragedy and feminist theory. Supported by Aristotle’s Poetics[3], Wang Guowei’s third-type tragedy theory[4] and feminist patriarchal theory[5,6], this paper adopts documentary research, close reading and comparative approach to analyze their tragedies from commonness, discrepancy and cultural origin. It is conducive to improving the research framework of Sino-Western female fatalistic tragedy comparison and deepening the comprehension of gender culture and tragic spirit.

Keywords

Du Shiniang; Medea; Fatalistic Tragedy; Feminism; Cross-Cultural Comparison

References

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