The Willful Woman

Name: The Willful Woman
ISBN: 9787559854254

Zhang KangkangGuangxi Normal University Press · ChinaFeb 2023

3.6

Word count: 246K words
Chapters: 113
ISBN: 9787559854254

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Summary

Through its portrayal of a group of restless, self-centered "zuo women" living in Beijing from the 1990s to the early 21st century, represented by the protagonist Zhuo Er, this book depicts the existential state of urban women in Chinese society: their awakening self-awareness, their subversion of and resistance to the precepts and rules of a patriarchal society, and their self-affirmation and self-salvation under new historical conditions. Independent-minded and daring in their pursuit of dreams, these "zuo women" are at once a reflection on and a challenge to their era, and one of the hallmarks of Chinese women's liberation.

Editor's review

Zuo Nü (The "Troublemaking" Woman) is a novel by Zhang Kangkang published in 2002. With keen social insight and a distinctive female perspective, it vividly portrays the existential condition and spiritual predicaments of urban women at the turn of the century. The book does not merely examine the surface behavior of "zuo" (making trouble) but uses it as a lens to dissect, layer by layer, contemporary intellectual women's intense struggles and arduous questing between tradition and modernity, self and society, ideal and reality. With a calm yet tension-filled brush, Zhang Kangkang creates a vivid cast of characters including Zhuo Er; unwilling to be defined, they dare to challenge established life paths and gender roles, and behind their "zuo" lies a persistent inquiry into individual life value and spiritual independence. That inquiry retains strong contemporary relevance even today. The novel's language is concise and sharp, its narrative pace brisk; while revealing the glittering surface of urban life, it strikes directly at the subtle depths and turbulence of the characters' inner worlds. It is not merely a story about women but a mirror reflecting the complexities of a changing era and human nature. For readers hoping to understand the spiritual history of a particular group during China's social transformation, or interested in women's issues and urban literature, Zuo Nü is an unmissable work that combines literary texture with intellectual depth.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the existential condition and psychological shifts of contemporary Chinese urban women
Readers who enjoy realist fiction with social insight and the imprint of its era
Readers concerned with feminist issues and the relationship between individual freedom and social discipline
Readers who appreciate Zhang Kangkang's work and wish to understand the trajectory of her literary creation

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting light, entertaining urban romance stories
Readers with no interest whatsoever in fiction depicting the social landscape and characters' predicaments of a particular historical period

Reading tips

The book may be read alongside the author's contemporaneous or later works (such as Love Gallery) for a fuller grasp of Zhang Kangkang's style and intellectual evolution.
While reading, consider how the meaning of "zuo" shifts across different eras, and the social structural factors behind the protagonist's behavior.
Pay attention to the fates of supporting characters besides the protagonist; together they form a three-dimensional, plural portrait of urban women.

About the publisher

Guangxi Normal University Press China · Founded in 1986

Guangxi Normal University Press is a publisher known for literature, foreign literature and history titles. Its 1,175 books in the database show a solid accumulation in classics and prose collections, including foreign literary works such as Les Fleurs du mal: Annotated Poems of Baudelaire, Snow Country, Dubliners and The Wild Palms, as well as modern prose compilations like The Complete Prose of Zhou Zuoren. History and philosophy also hold a notable share, with titles such as Running Dogs: Clerks and Runners in Qing County Yamen and The History and Thought of the Taiping Heavenly Kingdom reflecting attention to Qing local administration and modern history. In art literature there is the 16-volume Ten Bamboo Studio Painting and Calligraphy Manual. Its author resources include foreign writers Charles Baudelaire and Yasunari Kawabata, translators and annotators Liu Nanqi and Zou Bo, and scholars such as Zhong Shuhe, Bradly W. Reed and You Chenjun. As public information is limited, this characterization is based only on the books in the database, which together present a profile balancing Chinese and foreign literary classics with academic works in the humanities and social sciences.

版权信息
自序
第一章你就“作”吧你
一
二
三
四
第二章你不也曾挺“作”的吗
一
二
三
四
五
六
七
第三章要是都像你这么个“作”法儿
一
二
三
四
第四章原来京城暗藏着那么多的“作女”
一
二
三
四
第五章你不“作”我“作”
一
二
三
四
第六章把爱给“作”没了
一
二
三
四
五
第七章这算不算是“作”呢？
一
二
三
四
第八章 “作”使我的人生有声有色
一
二
三
四
五
第九章现在不“作”更待何时
一
二
三
四
五
六
第十章男人“作”怎么就不叫“作”呢
一
二
三
第十一章好好的，又“作”起来了
一
二
三
四
第十二章男人和女人一块儿“作”才好
一
二
三
四
五
第十三章 “作”的欲望从哪里来？
一
二
三
四
五
第十四章 “作”着才能感受蓬勃的生命
一
二
三
四
第十五章碰上个“作女”算你倒霉
一
二
三
四
第十六章你敢把“作女”娶回家吗？
一
二
三
四
第十七章 “作”是一种创意
一
二
三
四
第十八章往死里“作”
一
二
三
四
五
第十九章难的是一辈子“作”
一
二
三
四
五
第二十章 “作”就是不断的放弃和开始
一
二
三
四
跋

FAQ

What exactly does "zuo" in Zuo Nü refer to?

"Zuo" in the book is not the everyday sense of making unreasonable fuss. It chiefly refers to the various seemingly restless, unyielding behaviors and psychological states of a group of urban intellectual women from the 1990s into the early 2000s as they took the initiative to break convention, challenge established life patterns, and pursue self-realization—the product of both their inner restlessness and the pressure of their external environment.

Is this book related to today's popular topic of "women's independence"?

It is deeply related. The book can be seen as one of the earlier works to systematically explore, at the literary level, the awakening and predicaments of Chinese urban women's sense of "independence." It shows women's early attempts to seek economic and spiritual independence during a particular period of social transformation, along with the confusion, costs, and resilience that accompanied them, offering a historical and literary reference for understanding current discussions.

Is the novel's historical background important for understanding the story?

Very important. The story is set in the 1990s, when China's economy and society were undergoing drastic change; the tide of the market economy, the clash of values, and the process of urbanization together form the stage on which the characters act. Only by understanding this background can one more deeply appreciate the motivations, limitations, and historical significance behind the characters' choices.

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About the author

Zhang Kangkang Author · China · 1950

Zhang Kangkang (born 1950), originally named Zhang Kangmei, is a contemporary Chinese woman writer from Hangzhou, Zhejiang, with ancestral roots in Xinhui, Guangdong. In 1969 she went to the Great Northern Wilderness for eight years of resettlement, and in 1979 she joined the Heilongjiang Writers Association as a professional writer. She served as vice chair of the seventh, eighth and ninth Chinese Writers Association and as a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. Her works include the novels Invisible Companion, Chitong Danzhu, Love Gallery and The Woman Who Makes Trouble, as well as essays such as The Peony's Refusal and Reflections of Wuzhen. Her writing often begins with personal experience and everyday detail, focusing on women's lives and social change in a delicate, restrained style that combines realistic concern with reflection.