Analyzing Su Wenyun's "Besieged City" through Character Language

Abstract

This essay analyzes the character of Su Wenyun in Qian Zhongshu's Fortress Besieged (围城) through her language and dialogue. Departing from the common focus on Fang Hongjian, it examines Su Wenyun's three "besieged cities": her marriage to Cao Yuanlang, her craving to be fought over by men, and her inability, as a woman in a patriarchal society, to independently control her own fate.

Structure

• Preface — Reading Su Wenyun's "besieged cities" through her language
• The most typical "besieged city" — Su Wenyun's marriage to Cao Yuanlang: forced to "rush in," unable to escape the urge to "fly out"
• The most ornate "besieged city" — Her craving to be fought over by men, through deliberately ambiguous words and contrived jealousies
• The most grand "besieged city" — In a patriarchal society, a woman like Su Wenyun cannot independently control her own fate
• Conclusion — Beyond the fixed Fang Hongjian-centered reading, a richer meaning of "besieged city"

Approximately 3,730 characters, with references.

Download the Full Text