Research On Female Images In Folk Songs Of Ming Dynasty

The development of folk songs peaked in Ming dynasty. The contents of it are quite rich and the major part is about love and marriage where women are the main character. This paper is aimed at the images of women in Folk Songs of Ming dynasty. There are five parts.Part 1 is about the meaning, present situation and feasibility of this research, as well as the distinguishing features and the methods adopted in this research.Part 2 focuses on the types and unique characteristics of female images. There are four types and they are women of morality, whores, women who cheat and others. And they also have their own characteristics. First, there are much more types of female images in folk songs of Ming dynasty than those in folk songs of the previous dynasties. Secondly, personification is adopted in these songs for the first time. Objects are described in the songs to disclose the phenomenon that women are treated as something rather than a human being.Part 3 analyzes the awakening of women in Ming dynasty and the progress and limitation of this awakening. Women began to realize their freedom to carry on a clandestine love affair, the right to enjoy sex and resent the men failing to be loyal to love or marriage. Objectively speaking, these consciousnesses have a certain impact on traditional ethics, and they show people’s aspirations in late Ming dynasty.So,these consciousnesses are historical-advanced.However, their awakening is inconsistent and limited because of the effects of the reality and traditions passed down over thousands of years.Part 4 talks about the ethic relations and living conditions. They have to deal with relationships like couples, lovers and parents. By analyzing these relationships, their living conditions will be revealed—the traditional ethnic system has crashed but new system has not been established; the idea of chastity has developed to the apex then transmutes; meanwhile, the education of women hasn’t improved, the same with the political and economic environment.Part 5 explores the reasons why women obtain such images in the folk songs of Ming dynasty. For one thing, these songs are written from the perspective of men, some of whom are just ordinary men and some of whom are professional writers. As a result, the purpose of writing these songs is to pander to low tastes of men and to satisfy their curiosity about women. For another thing, women tacitly consent to this kind of behavior and join the men’s club, which also acts as a way to get off their chest the emotional restraint. In a word, these songs are a reflection of the customs in Ming dynasty.Philosophy created by Wang Yangming tends to care more about ordinary people. As a result, writers and scholars are eager to eulogize folk songs and they pay much attention to them. They contribute a lot to the compilation and conservation of women images in folk songs of Ming dynasty.