Browsing by Subject "Xiran Jay Zhao"

Genre conventions and associated tropes can be considered intrinsic to any form of genre fiction but are brought to attention especially in young adult speculative fiction (YA SF) since they participate in creating visible trends in contemporary book culture. Established, recognisable conventions invite subversions, and this is highlighted especially in the phenomenon of retelling narratives that draw inspiration from mythology, folklore, and history, using the established frameworks to address contemporary concerns. Such is the case for Xiran Jay Zhao's Iron Widow (2021) and Shelley Parker-Chan's She Who Became the Sun (2021). Both novels are a reimagination of the rise to power of two imperial Chinese rulers, Wu Zetian and Zhu Yuanzhang, respectively. Through the analysis of three prominent themes of YA and SF – the character of the hero, femininity/masculinity, and romance – this thesis shows how both novels deliberately subvert their genre conventions while echoing warrior epics in the form of heroic SF. Current scholarship agrees that SF, and other literary genres for that matter, are not stagnant categories, and often occupy liminal spaces that can be seen as amalgamations of distinguishable characteristics of several genres. The awareness of this intertextuality is at the core of reimagining narratives as well. Gender, especially the potential dissonance between social and individually embodied expressions of gender identities, emerges a prominent factor in the novels’ exploration of these themes, which prompts queer and feminist readings. Drawing queer theory and on scholarship surrounding Judith Butler’s conceptualisations of the performativity of gender this thesis looks at the way gender is discussed in the novels as both a social construct and as a means of self-actualisation.