Gendered Narrative and Feminine Modernity: Free Indirect Discourse in Lin Huiyin’s “In Ninety-Nine Degrees of Heat”

Abstract

In the modern Chinese literary scene, Lin Huiyin (1904–55) was a prominent woman writer who applied free indirect discourse (FID), a “new” narrative device, into her creative writing. In some of her works, FID is not only a new way in which to realize a modern narrative style but also a discreet way to provide her own voice. The existence of slippage between the narrator and character-focalizer deliberately destabilizes the reader, somehow swaying between the narrator’s authoritative and the character’s initial characteristics. In this way, this narrative strategy allows Lin to establish a kind of private space for herself within which to query authority, thereby escaping the material world dominated by male writers at that time. For instance, in her well-known short story, “In Ninety-Nine Degrees of Heat” (Jiushijiu du zhong), Lin Huiyin employed this typical narrative strategy, illustrating the modernity of her creative writing and revealing some meanings of social and gendered narratives.

Key words： Lin Huiyin; “In Ninety-Nine Degrees of Heat; ” free indirect discourse (FID); feminine modernity