The Modernization Progress of “Love”: The Emergence and Evolvement of Discourse on “Free Love” in Taiwan during Japanese Ruling Period (1895-1945)
Date Issued
2010
Date
2010
Author(s)
Hsu, Meng-Fang
Abstract
This thesis aims to investigate the emergence and evolvement of “Free Love” Discourse through the diachronic change of “Yanqing” in the popular novels, which were published in the newspaper and magazines during the Japanese ruling period (1895-1945).
Before the idea of “Free Love” was brought to Taiwan by some new intellectuals as a trend of enlightenment, the language of “Yanqing” went from “Chin-yuan”, free marriage, to free love. Although the concept of “Chin-yuan” was still closely related to destiny, yet the Confucius idea of “li” appeared to be unstablized. With the free marriage idea that followed, the traditional kind of marriages used to be appointed by parents or matchmakers were modified, representing liberation, individualism, and personal freedom in Taiwan at that time. Due to the collision of traditional and modern values, as well as the rise of urban culture, the discourse of “free love” was set in the 1930s, and the popular novels showed the modernization progress of love and that love appeared as a kind of new morals.
In addition, this thesis tries to further examine how the concept of “Free Love” was practiced in the field of gender, politics, and culture. The role of female in the novels seemed increasingly superior to male, not only as an irony to the masculine, but it also reverses the Confucius hierarchy of family over the individuals. Hence, the emergence of “Free Love” discourse during the Japanese ruling period is not merely a term of love; most of all, it implies the shuffle of gender both in private and public social domains.
Subjects
Japanese ruling period
Popular novels
Yanqing
Gender
Free love
Type
thesis
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