A Study Of Historical Understandings In English Narrative Texts With The Subject Of "Comfort Women"

The history of "comfort women" is a depressing and sorrowful memory in the modern history of mankind.It has witnessed an unprecedented catastrophe for women,the unprecedented shame in the history of human civilization and the blood scene of hundreds of thousands of women maltreated by Japanese soldiers.Apart from historians,literary writers are also responsible to expose the atrocities of militarism and have the obligation to defend the humiliated women.This is also the value of literary creation.The more valuable literary works tend to have more profound thoughts and which can arouse people’s reflection on certain issue.The English narrative texts of "comfort women" are one of the most valuable literary texts among the others,and they are exactly the research object of this dissertation.Ten texts of the related subject are selected in this study,including four documentary narrative texts such as biographies and diaries and six fictional narrative texts.Although the number of works of this type is not particularly large,it also involves many aspects.As to the authors,there are both civilians and elite writers;as to the writing perspective,there are documentary texts written from the perspectives of victims or of assaulters,or fictional texts written from the third-party witnesses;as to the content,there are portrayals of the dire life of "comfort women",as well as the tribute to the justice of "comfort women’’;as to the ideological tendencies,the text is dominated by nationalism,combined with internationalism and humanitarianism,demonstrating the care for females.The English narrative texts with the subject of "comfort women" is not only a review of the history of "comfort women",but also displays writers’ understanding on the history of "comfort women".Clarifying the relationship between the history of "comfort women" and literature,this dissertation takes "historical understanding" as the starting point,and makes an in-depth analysis on the statue of "comfort women",the traumatic memory of this group as well as a series of issues around "comfort women" by combining internal and external investigation on the literary works,and reveals the understanding differences on the history of "comfort women" between different creators and the underlying causes.The agonizing experience of wartime and the post-war discrimination have all been buried in the bottom of their hearts.Therefore,this dissertation attempts to find out how writers with the experience of being “comfort women” and without the experience of being "comfort women" retrospect history,narrate history,reflect on history and remember the history with their own perspectives.The issue of "comfort women" is both a historical issue and a political issue.In recent years,the Japanese right-wing forces have been expanding their power,trying to cover up the atrocity on "comfort women",getting rid of various restrictions after the war,and thinking of reviving the dream of the "Great Japanese Empire".For these increasingly rampant moves by right-wingers,we must remain vigilant.The narrative text with the theme of "comfort women" reproduces the sorrowful experience of this group,which not only has important significance for Japan to reexamine the history of "comfort women",but also helps motivate Japan to face up to its aggression against other neighboring Asian countries to some extent.This dissertation takes "historical understanding" as the starting point,and studies the English narrative texts with the subject of "comfort women",serving as a precedent for the systematic study of "comfort women" in English literature.To some extent,it also offers a new angle for the studies of this issue,indirectly providing some evidence for the historical research.