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This collection scrutinizes the representation, dynamics, transformation and/or adaptation of various heroes and heroines in different folkloric traditions and narratives in the context of Asia. Exploring notions in the topics of mythologies, folktales, literature, theatre performance and any other art forms, the volume collates discussions on the pragmatic and aesthetic representation of men and women within the mythic world, and within contemporary settings. In doing so, it produces a contemporary theorization of Asian heroes and heroines beyond their mythic structure and folkloric limits. In considering the representation of heroes and heroines in the Asian folkloric tradition, and in comparative contexts, the book establishes connections between characters from myths and folktales and those found in contemporary narratives, considers the adaptation and transformation of heroes and heroines as revealed in a variety of literary works, and also assesses the gendering of social roles in modern literature and other art forms. It is of interest to scholars and advanced students in comparative literature, Asian cultural studies and theatre and performance.
List of contents
Part 1 Transformation of Mythical Heroines throughout History and Narrative Classics.- Chapter1 The Yue Maiden An Independent Heroine and Her History in China.- Chapter2 The Power of Tears and Self-Assertion The Changing Meaning of Suffering in Binu and the Great Wall (2006).- Chapter3 Forbidden Love unto Death and Metamorphosis Tragic Heroines from an Interplay between Celtic and Chinese Myths, and the Representation of Opera.- Chapter4 Heroic Princesses Across Cultural Horizons A Comparative Analysis of Tomoe Gozen, Mulan, and Bari Gongju Beyond Folklore.- Part II Heroes and Heroines in Chinese Rituals and Narrative Traditions.- Chapter5 Re-Assembling Fragments Across Time and Space Folk Narrative Translation in Lady Precious Stream.- Chapter6 Crossing a Millennium Cult Lord Guan Patrols the City.- Chapter7 A Reflection of China Cheng Dieyi's Loss of Identity in Farewell to My Concubine (1993).- Part III Immortalizing Narratives across Boundaries of Multiple Dimensions.- Chapter8 Journeys of Peripheral Characters Foreign Sojourners and their British Frenemy in Joseph Conrad and Lao She.- Chapter9 Spatiality and Myth-Remaking in Contemporary Chinese Multimedia A Study of Goose Mountain and Tales of the Mirror.- Chapter10 The Cult of Mummies in the Mummy Series.
