摘要
This article examines the similarities between Song of Youth and The Best of Everything, coming-of-age novels published in China and the United States in 1958. The author finds that comparable narrative structures reveal parallels in two societies that are often viewed in stark contrast. In both novels, a feminist ideal of sisterhood is woven into the coming-of age stories of young women moving into society, and in each novel, the social background of the times determines the degree to which mainstream values are conducive to imagining a public sphere that is welcoming to women.
This article examines the similarities between Song of Youth and The Best of Everything, coming-of-age novels published in China and the United States in 1958. The author finds that comparable narrative structures reveal parallels in two societies that are often viewed in stark contrast. In both novels, a feminist ideal of sisterhood is woven into the coming-of age stories of young women moving into society, and in each novel, the social background of the times determines the degree to which mainstream values are conducive to imagining a public sphere that is welcoming to women.
