Mulans legend and legacy in china and the united states on jstor. The legend of this woman warrior has existed since at least the 6th century and has hardly waned in popularity today. For convenience, this summary uses kingston to stand for what might be more. When khan enlists soldiers from each family, fa mulan dresses as a man and joins the army to keep her family from being dishonored5. She lived with her parents and a dog named little brother. San souci, author of the childrens picture bookfa mulan. Many movies have gotten their theme or content from books and novels. But like many stories that have been around for quite some time, they morph and evolve, gaining or losing many aspects in the process. Mulan fought for twelve years and gained high merit, but she refused any reward. To save her family, fa mulan takes her fathers place in the khans army.
White tigers is based on another talkstory, one about the mythical female warrior fa mu lan. When jin yong learned that mulan was a woman, he became more attached to her. Oh good, so i can spend time by myself in our house away from my. In the fa mu lan story, the warrior exacts vengeance on the baron and can go back to her family. One of them being the story of mulan, which originates from the story of a chinese girl who grows into a women warrior. Nov 05, 2018 hua mulan was a chinese warrior woman who lived during the northern and southern dynasties, which was between 420 and 589 ce, and her story was told through the ballad of mulan. Mulan s story inspired many young women, who demanded to learn how to ride a horse and use a sword, just like mulan. In kingstons talk story, in which fa mu lan marries and has a son, the woman warrior conforms to chinese custom by going to live with her husband in his familys home. In an original mulan story she committed suicide instead of. Fa mulan the female warrior the chinese legend paper. Mar 02, 2000 a good swordsman should appear as calm as a fine lady, but he must be capable of quick action like a surprised tiger, says a seasoned warrior to fa mulan, unaware that the young soldier is in fact a woman. In many versions of the story both mulan and jin yong dream about getting married to each other. The first section of white tigers is kingstons childhood fantasy of living the life of fa mu lan, the woman warriora story that derives from one of brave orchids talkstories. He was the khan, or emperor, of the western turkic khaganate that battled the tang dynasty.
Mulan story tale of hua mulan bedtime stories english. After recounting many memories, they finally believed that mulan was a woman who had fought by their side in many a battle. The chapters integrate kingstons lived experience with a series of talkstoriesspoken stories that combine chinese history, myths, and. Connections the song of mulan legends, like the one in theatre ivs the song of mulan, are popular stories handed down over time. At some point during this time, mulan and some other soldiers are cut off. The story of a woman warrior1998 and the film story for disneys animated featuremulan1998, leads the reader to another valuable creative engagement with mulans story in contemporary america. Now, its possible that she was a real person, but it is largely believed that her story is fictional. The story of a woman warrior1998 and the film story for disneys animated featuremulan1998, leads the reader to another valuable creative engagement with mulans story in contemporary america writers and artists of childrens literature have reimagined this. The story of a woman warrior paperback march 1, 2000 by robert d.
It was originally a ballad, however the first written records of the poem have been forever lost to time. Kingston chooses fa mu lan as a heroine, for the warrior womans femininity does not hinder her strength, but instead reinforces it. While now appreciated in certain groups for its feminist message, mulan actually did quite poorly in theaters. Mar 07, 2018 wikimedia commons an 18thcentury depiction of hua mulan. The legend of scarface won the notable childrens trade book in the social studies, national council for the social studies, and was a horn book honor list citation. Mulans legend and legacy in china and the united states. Kneeling at her parentsinlaws feet, she tells them, i will stay with you, doing farmwork and housework, and giving you more sons. The book blends autobiography with what kingston purports to be old chinese folktales, although several scholars have questioned the accuracy and authenticity of these folktales. Its here when a warrior princess named xianniang found out mulan is a woman. Introduction in modern day, research on women warriors in china is more likely to pinpoint traditional figures like fa mulan, while researches of the female heroes of the yangbanxi and the model works of the chinese cultural revolution 196676 tend to take them as part of a deviant marxist culture divorced from chinese tradition. This retelling of an ancient chinese legend is the inspiring tale of a young heroine who poses as a soldier and rises to the rank of general. This particular retelling dates back to the earliest versions of the song of mulan, probably composed during the northern and southern dynasties a. The movie was based off a poem entitled ballad of mulan, which is thought to be based off of a real female warrior. The woman warrior the legend of fa mu lan gradesaver.
Pdf transformations of the woman warrior hua mulan. When the emperor of china issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the imperial army to defend the country from. The song of mulan and the classroom connections study guide are produced. Pdf kingstons the woman warrior pirjo ahokas academia. Kingston chooses fa mu lan as a heroine, for the warrior womans femininity. Mu lan was well received by female audiences seeking a strong. A heroine of ancient china by wei jiang and cheng an jiang the song of mulan by jeanne m. But she must look deep within herself to find her might and her courage. Fa li, mulans mother, and grandmother fa want mulan to find a good husband. Fa mulan is a young woman who prefers riding her horse to a more traditional female role. The bestselling true story behind the blockbuster disney film is now in p.
Note that the fantasy is written in the firstperson, in the present tense. The legend of fa mu lan has been retold and reinterpreted by many authors and for many audiences. San souci and jean and mousien tseng have created an elegant, visually stunning retelling of the popular chinese legend. The original mulan story dates way back to the 6th century ad. While her story is specifically chinese american, her use of the historical woman warrior fa. White tigers buy study guide unlike the story of the narrators no name aunt, most of her mothers stories convinced her.
One of four adaptations of the chinese folk legend of fa or hua mulan that i have read recently the other three being jeanne m. He also wrote nonfiction works for children, several novels for adults, and the film story for disneys mulan. In the ballad, hua mulan, disguised as a man, takes her aged fathers place in the army. The story of a woman warrior by san souci, robert d. The woman warrior was published during a time in american literary history when scholars and readers, aided by the advent of cultural studies, were starting to examine what constituted an american story and who could write one. The dramatic true story behind disneys mulan ancient origins. This book tells of the inspirational story of hua muian, the legendary chinese female warrior who pledges to fight for her family and country in the most unusual way. The chinese idiom for revenge is report to five families, but in kingstons world, the words that describe her as a girl keep her away from her family, out of hating range, and she carries these words on her back along with the racist words she fights against. For over 1500 years the hua mulan story has remained a popular source of inspiration for writers of plays, poems, and novels as well as films and television dramas. Acclaimed filmmaker niki caro brings the epic tale of chinas legendary warrior to life in disneys mulan, in which a fearless young woman risks everything out of love for her family and her country to become one of the greatest warriors china has ever known.
The story of a woman warrior is the first exclusively english retelling i have. Mulan rolled her eyes, but she desperately wanted to believe the dragons words. Mulans story has a long history of over 1,500 years in china, but the disney. This story is the tale of hua mulan, a legendary woman warrior from the northern and southern dynasties period 420589 of chinese history, originally described in the ballad of mulan. The story of a woman warrior from the worlds largest community of readers.
Mulans story inspired many young women, who demanded to learn how to ride a horse and use a sword, just like mulan. Most recently, disney popularized a cartoon version of the legend with its mulan. As an only child, mulan felt responsible for upholding the family honor. Bbyy aallvviinn cchhaann honolulu theatre for youth. Fa mulan, this is the best proposal to come for us. Feb, 2020 since girls are not allowed in the army, mulan cleverly disguises herself as a man. Meet hua mulan, the legendary warrior behind the disney. The woman warrior summary and analysis of chapter 2.
A good swordsman should appear as calm as a fine lady, but he must be capable of quick action like a surprised tiger, says a seasoned warrior to fa mulan, unaware that the young soldier is in fact a woman. She quickly proves that being a good soldier means combining the energies and skills of being a man with her talents and abilities as a woman. The story of the woman warrior contradicts brave orchid s negative attitude toward girls and also challenges chinas traditional devaluation of girls and women. The dramatic true story behind disneys mulan ancient.
Childrens book author robert san souci, a frequent disney consultant, had suggested that a chinese poem called the song of fa mu lan might make good movie, report brown, corie and laura shapiro. Retelling the story of a woman warrior in hua mulan. The woman warrior study guide literature guide litcharts. In kingstons talkstory, in which fa mu lan marries and has a son, the woman warrior conforms to chinese custom by going to live with her husband in his familys home. Meet hua mulan, the legendary warrior behind the disney classic. Hua mulan was a chinese warrior woman who lived during the northern and southern dynasties, which was between 420 and 589 ce, and her story was told through the ballad of mulan. Mulans father had once been a great warrior, but his leg had been injured in battle. Long before she was the heroine of a popular disney movie, hua mulan was inspiring generations of young people in her own country of china. Mulan, a young girl from a military family without a male heir, disguises herself as a male soldier rather than expose her. The woman warrior focuses on the stories of five womenkingstons longdead aunt, noname woman. Jun 15, 1998 one of four adaptations of the chinese folk legend of fa or hua mulan that i have read recently the other three being jeanne m. Fa mu lan, whose story is told through kingstons firstperson narrative, trains to become a warrior from the time she is seven years old, then leads an army of meneven pretending to be a man herselfagainst the forces of a corrupt baron and. Relieved, the woman warrior simply asks to go home. Lan story to suit her own stereotypes, and he states that the distortion is simply a device for destroying history and.
Rise of a warrior available now on bddvd combo trailer. Mulan classic storybook, mouse works the legend of mulan by wei jiang, victory press. Get the entire the woman warrior litchart as a printable pdf. Hua mulan is arguably chinas most famous female warrior. Wikimedia commons an 18thcentury depiction of hua mulan. Our adaptation is a blend of the ballad mentioned above and the disney movie mulan where a young mulan joins the army in disguise as a boy and is later.
The noble story of this legendary chinese heroine has inspired poets, writers, artists, dramatists, and readers worldwide for centuries. It is popular as a childrens story because it is a tale of empowerment and gender surprise. White tigers buy study guide unlike the story of the narrators no name aunt, most of her mothers stories convinced her of womens strength and independence. The story of the woman warrior contradicts brave orchids negative attitude. See all 9 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. Fa mu lan character analysis in the woman warrior litcharts. Fayelynn wu and joy ang turn this ancient chinese ballad into an uplifting, empowering ode to young girls everywhere, showing. Memoirs of a girlhood among ghosts is a book written by chinese american author maxine hong kingston and published by alfred a. The woman warrior focuses on the stories of five women kingstons longdead aunt, noname woman. Comprehension and discussion activities for the movie. She touched his arm, then clasped his hand, warming his cold fingers with her own. As the story goes, she spent about 12 years in the imperial army, as she fought for heshana khan. Lees the song of mu lan, song nan zhangs the ballad of mulan, and charlie chins chinas bravest girl.