As a cultural construct, gender is fictional and imagined, but is also real in its ideological and representational effects on the formation of self and identity. What is intriguing is the fiction behind the fictional, which many people accept as truth. Critiquing the fictive nature of socially accepted values about gender, the authors in this volume unravel the strategies adopted by writers and filmmakers in (de)constructing the gendered self in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong.

書評

Gender, Discourse and the Self in Literature adds a Chinese focus to the rapidly globalizing field of gender studies and feminist theory. The authors contributing to this volume focus on the construction of gender identity through literature, with detailed critical analysis informed by historical knowledge and theoretical insight. With attention to both female and male subjectivity, the articles herein are a welcome contribution to our increasing understanding of the importance of gender in identity, daily life, and aesthetics.

Wendy Larson, University of Oregon

Kwok-kan Tam is Chair Professor and Dean of Arts and Social Sciences at the Open University University of Hong Kong.

Terry Siu-han Yip is Professor of English Language and Literature at Hong Kong Baptist University.