Body Matters: Reading Exotic Photos In Songdogs

The prosperity of ethnic minority writing has greatly enriched both the content and the expressiveness of contemporary American literature. Taking advantage of their cross cultural writing experiences and their own exiles, ethnic minority writers can better tackle dislocation problem and identity crisis in their works—issues common in the post-modern society. Irish American novelist Colum McCann excels in digging up the happiness and sorrows of the everyman and exposing the problems faced by geographically and psychologically marginalized characters. As an eminent representative of the "New Irish", McCann has garnered worldwide recognition and numerous awards from the outset of his literary endeavor.As the first published novel by McCann, Songdogs serves as the origin of his literary creation and the basis for readers’understanding of his entire canon. However, no Chinese scholar has studied this novel so far. Reading exotic photos in Songdogs is a new way to approach the novel. Furthermore, analyzing the chain effect triggered by the exposure of Juanita’s exotic photos can invite readers’attention to female body and female subject consciousness, and provide them with a new perspective to look at similar problems on the rise in China today.The thesis consists of three parts, namely the introduction, body and conclusion. Part One introduces McCann and his works, emphasizing how his life experiences shapes his Irishness, and how his Irishness in turn influences his views on literature and history. Besides, Part One also chronicles domestic and overseas study on McCann, especially on Songdogs, and states the significance and main arguments of the thesis.The body part, also known as Part Two, follows the logic of who takes photos of what, why the photos are taken, and what happens after the exposure of exotic photos. Part Two dedicates three chapters to the discussion of the misrepresented and objectified female bodies in patriarchy, and the fight women put up to in order to retake their bodies and autonomy. In Chapter One, both the photographer and the photographees are classified so as to pin down Juanita’s exotic photos in Michael’s photography. While elucidating reasons why Michael can take exotic photos of his wife and most importantly why his wife allows such kind of photos to be taken, Chapter Two exposes that in the patriarchal view men’s possession of women is equivalent to their possession of female bodies, both inside and outside photos. Chapter Three synopsizes people’s different reactions to the three exposures of exotic photos, especially the second one when Michael self-publishes Juanita’s nude pictures with neither her knowledge nor agreement.The last part is the conclusion. Apart from summing up the entire thesis, it affirms the importance of sisterhood in fighting against patriarchy and awakening and strengthening female subject consciousness. Moreover, the conclusion stresses the significance of women’s revolt against patriarchy in building a more balanced relationship between man and woman. In the end, possible ways to approach Songdogs are also raised.