A Study on the Conflict and Integration of Traditional and Modern Images of Women in Shi Zhecun’s Works--Novel Behaviors of a Good Woman as an Example

School of Chinese Studies and Exchange, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, 201620, China

^* Corresponding author: 0221114007@shisu.edn.cn

Abstract

As a literary school in the early 20th century, the New Sense School vividly demonstrated the collision and fusion of tradition and modernity. As an important representative of the New Sense School, Shi Zhecun’s works portray women who are both traditionally bound and modernly awakened, making them an important entry point for the study of social transformation. This paper takes Shi Zhecun’s Novel Behaviors of a Good Woman as an example to explore the conflict and fusion of tradition and modernity embodied in his works. It is found that Shi Zhecun’s female figures present complex psychological and behavioral states between tradition and modernity. On the one hand, women are still bound by traditional concepts, such as the subordination of family roles, stereotyped gender roles, and the strict restrictions of social norms; on the other hand, the awakening of modern consciousness prompts women to pursue independence, freedom and self-realization. The research in this paper fills the gaps in related studies, provides theoretical support for understanding the complexity and diversity of women in social transformation, and emphasizes that multiple identities and roles in different socio-cultural contexts should be fully considered in women’s studies.