The Meaning of "Madness" Shown in the Female Narratives in Korean and Chinese Literature - Focused on the Comparative Study of Baek Shin-Ae's "The Diary of A Madman" and Mei Niang's "Before the Operation"

한중 현대여성서사에서 나타나는 '광기' - 백신애의 「광인수기」와 메이냥의 「수술하기 전」비교 고찰을 중심으로

This study analyzes the meaning of madness shown in the female narrative, focusing on two novels- "Before the Operation" by Mei Niang and "Madman's Diary" by Baek Shin-Ae. The novel "Before the Operation" reveals women's instinctive desires through an insane woman and brings up a problem of unfair suppression caused by patriarchism. On the other hand, the heroine of "Madman's Diary" shows madness when she is at a crisis to be 'the other' in the patriarchal system. Her madness is caused because she fails to find the meaning of her presence in the system. Interestingly, a woman who departs from moral standards of patriarchy (from "Before the Operation") becomes thefocus of public censure while a man (from "Madman's Diary") who also ignores those standards seems to be a victim. In "Madman's Diary", the man's wife is accused of being mad while he draws sympathy as a victim. This shows that those moral standards have duplicity. At this point, the heroines who continuously adjust themselves to the system express their madness. In other words, the madness implies a stern protest against the moral standards applied differently to men and women. It is unique that the two heroines of the novels become 'sane' when they encounter thematter of 'being a mother'. When it comes to "Madman's Diary", 'being a mother' of the insane woman who becomes 'the other' in the system foretells dismal future. Meanwhile, Mei Niang indicates the way- 'being a mother'- to overcome the dismal future through "Before the Operation". In this case, the mother is not a figure that reproduces the patriarchal power structure, but an independent figure who wants to change it. For that reason, 'being a mother' has the meaning of subversion and resistance.