Sui Sin Far's American Words

Author: Howard, June

Source: Comparative American Studies, Volume 6, Number 2, June 2008 , pp. 144-160(17)

Publisher: Maney Publishing

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Abstract:

This essay offers readings of three stories from Sui Sin Far's 1912 collection Mrs. Spring Fragrance: the title story, 'The Americanizing of Pau Tsu', and '"Its Wavering Image."' Each of these stories treats an episode of romance in a multiracial society as, simultaneously, a problem of reading and of writing in a contested culture. Each turns on a quoted passage from a poem, by Tennyson, Ban Jieyu, and Longfellow, respectively. (For the latter two stories, the sources have not previously been identified in published criticism.) Analysis of Sui Sin Far's subtle and transformative engagements with literary works from several national traditions both reveals new complexities in her fiction and has the potential to revise current views of literary history.

Keywords: SUI SIN FAR; ASIAN AMERICAN LITERATURE; THE CANON; LITERARY HISTORY

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1179/147757008x280795

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