A new kind of feminine querimony poetry and its female creators

Why do female authors persist in crafting the ideal man in Tanbi literature?

Tanbi literary, a literary genre from Japan, centres on stories about homosexual men. Although Tanbi literature is no longer as popular in China as it was in the decade 2010-2020 due to policy crackdowns, there are still a lot of Tanbi literature being written by female authors today.

In contrast to the earlier trend of emphasizing romantic relationships between male characters, recent years have seen a shift in the mainstream Tanbi literature landscape. Authors now deliberately downplay romantic plots, instead choosing to portray flawless male protagonists with distinct personalities and exceptional abilities. They weave intricate and emotionally resonant narratives around these characters.

A closer examination of these perfect male protagonists reveals their multifaceted and captivating characterizations. Female authors invest significant effort in crafting them with compelling personalities and backstories, ranging from transcendental idealists to dedicated pioneers and morally complex yet captivating villains. Their presence underscores the considerable artistic skill and literary prowess of their creators.

However, one may wonder: why do female authors persist in creating these idealized male characters, even when the narrative lacks a central romantic plot? Why do they shy away from depicting female characters that reflect their own femininity, despite their evident creativity? What drives them to dedicate their creative energies to crafting numerous perfect men?

Whom does the feminine querimony poetry represent?

The contemporary phenomenon of female writers engaging in Tanbi literature presents an interesting contrast to the historical practice of feminine querimony poetry in ancient China, evoking a meaningful dialogue across epochs. In ancient Chinese literature, a significant portion of feminine querimony poems were authored by male poets, who assumed the voice of women to articulate their own sentiments of artistic frustration and unfulfillment. In these male-authored feminine querimony poems, the female personas depicted were largely appropriated and reshaped by male poets, rendering them as mere spokespersons for the poets' personal experiences, effectively silencing the authentic voices of women.

Conversely, in contemporary Tanbi literature, female writers adopt the guise of perfect male protagonists, thereby expressing and championing their own individual consciousness. However, a further question arises: What motivates female writers to choose this kind of "feminine querimony poems", when most of the male poets were unable to speak their minds due to political pressure?

One reasonable explanation for this phenomenon lies in the gendered imbalance prevalent in literary creation, stemming from systemic gender injustices. Throughout history, the discourse power in literary creation has been held by men, who are keen on creating and appreciating male characters with distinctive personalities. This serves to reinforce the dominance of men in both private and public spheres. By creating these vivid male characters, they not only validate their own dominant status but also strengthen their uniqueness as the primary gender. In order to maintain this discourse power, they have devised various ways to suppress female writing, including but not limited to: depriving female authors of their writing rights, denying them the right to title their works, attributing their achievements to individual anomalies, and, most effectively, creating standardized literary aesthetics.

As a result, the culture of literary creation has become standardized: male characters in works mostly have diverse aspirations and ideals, their thoughts are always profound, and the plots surrounding them are always colorful. In contrast, female characters often play the roles of dutiful wives, gentle mothers, or adorable daughters. Each woman must be related to a man and becomes decorations of men.The lack of vivid female characters has perpetuated the stereotype that "women lack distinctive and vibrant personalities," resulting in the habitual creation of vivid male characters while neglecting the portrayal of female counterparts.

Upon taking up their pens, these female creators encountered feelings of shame and impropriety in allowing the female characters within their narratives to speak. It seemed contrary to their conception of literary imagery. How could female characters possess lofty ideals, thoughts, and behaviors unrelated to sexual relations? Such attributes seemed exclusive to male characters. Consequently, they also had no choice but to choose to craft dynamic male characters and let these male characters speak for themselves.

They created these perfect men, and they hid themselves in these shells.

They depict male characters professing, "I would sacrifice my life to save my friends," when in reality, they are expressing their altruistic inclinations.

They articulate male characters asserting, "I am willing to exert my utmost efforts to advance equality," when they are actually advocating for equity.

They narrate tales of male characters experiencing desolation, loss, and melancholy when they are reflecting their own disillusionment.

They illustrate male characters' fury, although the anger resonates with their own sentiments.

Beyond the constraints of socially regulated identities, female creators, akin to their male counterparts, have different ideas, aspirations, ambitions, and pains. Regrettably, they find themselves compelled to assume male personas to articulate their voices.This phenomenon could be deemed a form of literary tragedy, encapsulating the plight of female creators.

Embrace or restrain?

With the widespread dissemination of feminism on Chinese internet platforms in recent years, Tanbi literature has also faced criticism from some women. These opponents argue that this type of literature serves as an accomplice to patriarchy, encroaching upon the developmental space of genuine female literature. Furthermore, it is suspected of idealizing and mythologizing male images, inherently oppressing women. However, the creators of Tanbi literature quickly launched a counterattack, stating that such literary works are created, consumed, and interpreted by female subjects, making it a product of the female society itself.

This discourse may have comforted the tense emotions of readers and authors, but it is not difficult to discern its unmistakable shadow of liberal feminism. While it is undeniable that the liberal feminist movement has made historic contributions to the fight for women's equal rights, it also carries notable flaws: liberal feminism seeks reform within formal organizational structures. This reform, compared to the theories of radical feminism, state feminism, and ecological feminism, is relatively moderate, as it merely encourages women to enter the public sphere to seek equal domination and power with men, without addressing the entire system behind the institutionalized dominance.

In other words, the problem of liberal feminism is precisely the problem faced by the creators of Tanbi literature. Creation exercised under the backdrop of inequality, inherently bears the imprint of inequality, giving birth to deformed offspring under the gender injustice in the literary field. There is no need to sing praises for this type of literature just because of the female identity of the authors. While acknowledging the artistic level and creative ability they embody, we also need to recognize the injustice inherent within them.

As female creators, it is imperative to avoid this misconception and strive to break free from this fog. I look forward to the day when female creators can feel natural in their attempts to express grand propositions or profound thoughts, by naturally imbuing these traits onto female characters, rather than subconsciously creating perfect male characters. I hope that every female creator can utilize their talents and abilities to freely create literary works that express their personal will.