Elaine Zhu
Strange Passions: Queering The Story of the Stone
Having researched the mid-eighteen century Chinese novel The Story of the Stone as a member of Professor Volpp’s URAP group, my project this summer will further concentrate on forms of desire and intimacy within the text. Particularly, I’m interested in redefining the categories of sex, gender, and sexuality as an effort to illustrate how non-normative models of the body and its desires can challenge the frameworks that have dominated The Story of the Stone’s interpretation. With analytical tools informed by queer theory, I aim at producing a paper that explores the intricacies of passion (qing) – arguably the most significant agent within the novel, and a key to understanding the text – including its inscription on natural and artificial bodies, its movement between characters, and its manifestations, particularly on inanimate objects. Ultimately, I intend to remove our imaginations of passion in The Story of the Stone from the constraints of conventional, unexamined notions about the possibilities of sex and gender.
Message To Sponsor
Thank you so much for this wonderful opportunity! It has been my long-time aspiration to dedicate my summer to research. It is such a privileged place to be immersed in my subject of interest full-time, and I truly appreciate your generous gift in making this happen. A central mission of my research concerns marginalized perspectives, and I want to recognize your valuable support in uplifting voices that have been previously unaddressed in academia.