Jean Lin, M.A.
Abstract (Summary)
During the Song Dynasty, Hong Mai's collection of zhiguai tales--Yi Jian zhi--captured the voices of commoners who were not traditionally included in official writings. This assortment of voices included opinions and perspectives of women whose stories also revealed social and family patterns of behavior. This study analyzes fourteen stories of Yi Jian zhi and extracts mother-son relationship patterns from them. Through the use of other Song documents and modern research, it shows that a mother's bond to her son took immense significance in her emotional and physical life.
Advisor: Hayden, Geroge