1997년 후 홍콩소설에 나타난 여성의 모습 ― 어머니, 딸, 부인을 중심으로

Abstract

The descriptions that plainly and obviously defame women as the inferior to men are not found so often in Hong Kong fiction after 1997. However, it is still hard to say (that) the attitude of the description of women in Hong Kong fiction has thoroughly changed its direction, because the traditional biased view on social gender role strongly exists even now, especially the constitutive "Reification" and "Othering" of women by men. Even with this external appearance of the matter, there have been some significant changes in contents. "Witch-monster-mad" mothers, rebellious daughters, and past-parting wives show such tendencies of transition. The very same changes have emerged in writing styles as well. Women observe and narrate men, and the female concept of time that focus on memory and impression instead of the male way of describing history based on the logic of reason is used. However, what is more important than these changes are how effectively women's realization of the inequality between genders and self-definition issued from it is represented. In other words, it is the matter whether authors are focusing on it or not, whether Hong Kong fictions are expressing it or not, and whether readers are reading it with an expansive understanding or not. In this perspective, Hong Kong fiction need more time. The pursuit of women’s self-definition has evidently started to appear in Hong Kong fiction, but the way it is going to unfold is still not obvious. Women aren't the only victims of the gender-biased society. There are still some men who are suffering because of the male-role enforced by the patriarchal system. In this sense, men are not the subject of overthrow, though the phallocentrism must be demolished. Rather, the awakening and effort by men, as well as women, are essential in order to break down the persisting phallocentrism and to build the new human society which will be gender-equal.