A Literary Exploration of Existential Feminism in the Novella The Moon Opera Through the Application of Intertextuality Theory

Ruixi Yan

doi:10.20849/ajsss.v6i5.964

Abstract

Second-wave feminism was a period of feminist activity that began in the early 1960s in the western world, which focused on criticizing the patriarchal institutions or cultural practices throughout the society. Originating several centuries earlier, Chinese opera culture has been ahead of its time in demonstrating the male-dominated society’s oppression against women. As one of the principal founders of second-wave feminism, Simone de Beauvoir’s classical feminist theory in her book, The Second Sex, mainly introduced the sex-gender distinction. In this article, the author aims to reveal how Bi Feiyu, the writer of The Moon Opera, successfully conveyed existential feminist ideas, especially Beauvoir’s famous assertion that "one is not born but becomes a woman", through his careful selection of the art type Qing Yi (Qingyi is the main woman role in Peking Opera and often plays dignified, serious, and decent characters, which are mostly wives or mothers undergoing severe ordeal) and the portrayal of two generations of Qing Yi performers. In the process of analysis, the author not only examined Bi Feiyu’s application of intertextuality theory, but also derived conclusions from other mainstream feminist thoughts such as the feminist theory of the dressed female body and the transactional sex theory.

Highlights

The Moon Opera, a novella written by Bi Feiyu, tells the story of a Peking Opera actress Xiao Yanqiu in interposed narration
The design of the “Tong Chui Hua Lian” in the plot by Bi Feiyu could be interpreted as a symbol of the patriarchal society in general, which indicates that women, as a vulnerable minority, could never save themselves from the oppression of males despite their efforts to resist
In addition to the focus on Peking Opera art itself, Bi Feiyu gave a deeper meaning to his work by setting up the tragic destiny of female opera performers

Summary

Introduction

The Moon Opera, a novella written by Bi Feiyu, tells the story of a Peking Opera actress Xiao Yanqiu in interposed narration. She was once famous for playing Chang'e in theatre but ended up ruining her career with her own hands. Bi Feiyu has always kept a close eye on the livelihoods of female artists. He composed The Moon Opera from the view of a bystander to trigger readers’ thoughts about human nature

The Application of Intertextuality Theory in the Novel

The Marginalization of Female Characters in Chinese Opera Culture

Sex Exploitation of Female Artists

Conclusion