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[suibianxieyixie]

on feminism in mxtx novels

hi :)

aight i gotta preface this by saying i do enjoy mxtx’s novels. i genuinely think the stories are very heartwarming at times and heart wrenching at others. while i love svsss for its humour and subversion of tropes, i also think mdzs handles commentary on the grey nature of people and mob mentality quite expertly. i can appreciate some aspects of the romantic relationships (please note the keyword ‘some’; i’m disgusted by some aspects of it). even outside of the plot, her novels have reignited my love for chinese culture as someone who used to shun that part of themselves.

that being said, here’s my two cents on feminism in svsss and mdzs (sorry i haven’t read tgcf might write sth when i have :D). i mainly talk about female characters and their political and physical power compared to male characters, their impact on the story, and their character development.

svsss disclaimer:

>>> In SVSSS, the lack of female characters without agency or development is partially excusable due to the fact that the world is a satirical portrayal of stallion novels, which (usually) add female characters as additions that complement the main male character and are there to tell the main character’s story, not their own.

svsss cons:

>>> however, this does not excuse the fact that the female characters are not developed much beyond their roles in the stallion novel that is being critiqued. 

>>> LACK OF AGENCY: None of the female characters could hold their own against the male characters, and none of them have prominent character arcs. Quite a few of them still have the main goal of winning the protagonist’s love (Sha Hualing, the young palace mistress, Qin WanYue), just as in the stallion novel. None have their own aspirations.

>>> LACK OF CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT + POWER: While Ning Yingying and Liu Mingyan shed their roles as ‘harem members’, they don’t seem to have much change in their motivation or goals (especially when compared to the two main male characters). While both are cultivators of the Cang Qiong Mountain Sect, they’re presented as less powerful than the male cultivators (the former gets captured by a demon and is saved by two males, the latter loses a battle two other males won).

svsss pros:

>>> The one exception is Qi Qingqi, a peak leader who seems more than competent in a position of power and holds her own in a sect FULL of male leaders. From the few scenes we get of her, she seems really badass and independent. Although she’s not a particularly important to the plot and has little to no development, i appreciate the little representation we get of a woman who holds a position of power and authority. 

mdzs pros:

>>> In MDZS, I think this problem is actually fixed somewhat. Let’s look at Yu Ziyuan and Wen Qing.

>>> Yu Ziyuan is a woman in a position of authority (like Qi Qingqi), Although she does not develop much throughout the story given she dies quite early on, she plays an important role in moving the plot along during the first third of the story. She can also actually hold her ground in a fight against a male opponent, which is honestly more than I could ask given she’s already ticked off two of my criteria for good female representation.

>>> Wen Qing is also quite a character; even though she’s not a fighter, she’s got agency and moves the story along. She does develop as a person throughout the course of the novel. Initially she’s hesitant to help Wei Wuxian out of fear of being caught, but by the time she eventually exists the story, she’s willing to save him by being caught out of her gratitude for him. Giving credit where it’s due, both women play a much greater role in their stories than any of the characters did in SVSSS. unfortunately, while some problems are fixed, new ones seem to arise

mdzs cons:

>>> Maybe it’s just me but I’m a little uncomfortable with the fact that almost every single female character (bar MianMian) sacrificed themselves for men, and they died in horrific ways as a motivator for said men. Yu Ziyuan was killed brutally by the Wen Sect, while Wen Qing was burnt alive by the Jin Sect, Jiang YanLi was stabbed in the throat, and this is all done as a motivator for Wei Wuxian (Jiang Cheng as well). Of course, females die in the real world; sometimes they’re killed and sometimes people who loved them are deeply affected, this isn’t at all explicitly un-feminist. However, maybe it’s the sheer repetition of a woman’s brutal murder being used as a motivator for a man’s character development that subconsciously perpetuates the idea that even in death, females are just a stepping stone for male development.

overall, it could have been better, but it could have been worse. although i haven’t read tgcf, judging from the slight improvement from svsss to mdzs, i wouldn’t be too surprised if there were more feminist aspects in mxtx’s third work. if there’s anyone who’s read tgcf who wants to confirm my suspicions without spoiling it, or if there’s anyone who disagrees with my talking points, then feel free to!

thanks so much for reading! this is my first post critiquing/praising works online so apologizes for any errors :)