Presentation Schedule
Disability and Modernity in Buck’s Works (94313)
Session Chair: Issei Wake
This presentation will be live-streamed via Zoom (Online Access)
Friday, 16 May 2025 10:25
Session: Session 1
Room: Live-Stream Room 3
Presentation Type: Live-Stream Presentation
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The early twentieth century’s prevailing stigma against disability—particularly mental impairment—was reinforced by the rise of Social Darwinism and the eugenics movement. This paper examines the intersection of disability and modernity in Pearl S. Buck’s works, arguing that her understanding of modernity was profoundly shaped by her deep concern for disability. As the mother of a severely mentally impaired child, disability became an important influence on her literary career, beginning with her breakthrough novel The Good Earth. Buck’s bicultural experiences of disability culture in China and America further informed her unique perspective, allowing her to challenge rigid narratives of modern progress. In Buck’s works, disability is not a static condition but a dynamic force that reveals her complex attitudes toward modernity. This paper categorizes Buck’s representations of disability into three modes. The humanistic mode portrays disabled individuals as cared for within traditional Chinese family structures, as seen in Wang Lung’s mentally impaired daughter and elderly father in The Good Earth. The resilient mode depicts disabled characters who navigate society despite their impairments, such as the half-blind land dealer and the deaf rickshaw puller in The Good Earth and the hare-lipped servant in Sons. Lastly, the tragic mode presents disability as a source of suffering and marginalization, exemplified by the hunchbacked young man in Sons and the blind girl in The Mother. By analyzing these portrayals, this paper explores how Buck’s depictions of disability reflect her personal struggles, “inner rebellion” and broader critique of Chinese traditions and modernity.
Authors:
Shuhei Li, University of Tsukuba, Japan
About the Presenter(s)
Ms. Xiuping Li is a Ph.D. student in American literature at the University of Tsukuba, Japan.
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