Swans. This study can give additional information for readers who want to study literature especially Chinese history as written about by Jung Chang.
The second benefit of the study is that it discovers something new related to Jung Chang’s works. This study provides new information about the historical
changes of women’s social roles. The research gives additional references and information for future researchers.
E. Definition of terms
To avoid misinterpretation and misunderstanding, it is necessary to define the terms used in this study.
1. Influences
In NTC’s Dictionary of Literary Terms, influences refer to “power to have an effect on the way someone or something develops, behaves, or thinks” 933. This
study discusses the influences or effects of the regimes authorities’ development and behavior toward the women’s social roles of the main characters in Jung
Chang’s Wild Swans.
2. Regimes Authorities
The first is “regimes”. In politics, a regime is the form of government. It is the set of rules, cultural or social norms, etc. that regulate the operation of government
and its interactions with society http:en.wikipedia.orgwikiRegime. Websters definition clearly states that the word regime refers simply to a form of
government. In this study, each regime has different influences on the Chinese women of different generations.
The second term is “authorities”. In the Dictionary of Sociology and Related Sciences, authority refers to a form of power either which is a function of
legitimate position of knowledge, or respect power being defined as the ability of a person to have their will be obeyed. Hence, power whose possession by given
persons or groups is willingly accepted by relevant others 18. This study talks about the authority of many groups and authorizations which hold power over the
areas and society in China. The third is “regimes authorities”. From the definitions of regimes and
authorities above, we can derive the meaning of regimes authorities that is the regulation of different governments that give a legitimate power to the society.
This study explains the influences of different regimes who took a power in China from the Confucian, Manchu, and Communists periods.
3. Women’s Social Roles
The first term is women. Based on the Dictionary of Sociology by Ross, “women refer to the feminine half of humanity. Specifically, women are mature
human beings of the female sex. In the abstract, women are a generalized total of all feminine traits339. Women in this study are Chinese women. And the object
of this study is the two Chinese women of different generations as the main characters in Jung Chang’s Wild Swans.
The second term is social roles. In the Dictionary of Sociology and Related Sciences, social refers to “reciprocal relations of interacting human being, either as
individuals or groups. As a comprehensive term, social includes all the phenomena which are the subject matter of sociology” 275. Then, the word role refers to the
function or expected behavior of an individual in a group, usually defined by the group or the culture 262. This study determines the social roles of the women
portrayed in Jung Chang’s Wild Swans. Meaning that the expected and function behaviors of women in Chinese are focused on.
From the considerations above, we can conclude that women’s social roles in this study means are specified from their social roles at different periods and
regimes. The main objective is to know how the regimes authorities influence the social roles of the women.
7
CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
