Gendering Cross-strait Relations
Romance and Geopolitics in Li Ang’s Seven-Generation Predestined Relationship and Ping Lu’s East and Beyond
Abstract
Studies on women’s literature from Taiwan so far can be divided into two categories. Themsociological one investigates the emergence of certain popular authors as a phenomenon, whereas the thematic one either condemns women writers for describing triviality only or hailing them as feminists. These two approaches cannot fully analyze the works by authors such as Li Ang (b.1952) and Ping Lu (b.1953), who venture into the mostly male dominated realm of politics and history. This paper examines the relationship between romance and Taiwan’s socio-political issues in Li Ang’s Seven-Generation Predestined Relationship and Ping Lu’s East and Beyond . Based on a close textual analysis, it offers a detailed interpretation of the multi-layered narratives in Li Ang’s novel, looking at how Li’s characterization points to a female-centric view and a post-national global identity. It then scrutinizes the interplay between personal desire and Taiwanese history, as well as the use of female details, in Ping Lu’s work. It argues that the narrative form – romance – commonly employed by both writers should not be deemed clichéd or unserious. Rather, it serves as an effective means to subvert the “hardcore” politics, providing engendered insights into Taiwan’s own past and current interactions with China.
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