The Perfect Woman?

Taking a break from my Comparative Studies 100 Presentation thinking session... *stretch*

Coming Thursday, I've gotta present an analysis and perhaps raise some points and questions about the relevancy of the play, M. Butterfly by David Henry Hwang, to some of the main themes that we've been discussing this quarter: stuff like Identity/Character, History/Memory, Culture/Beliefs, and Language/Communication. All in all, Hwang's play is very interesting, and given the opportunity, I think I would like to watch it some day.

Two thumbs up.

Now, for those of you still interested in this subject, I found an online version of the original Madame Butterfly story written by John Luther Long (kudos to the UVA's Hypertext Project), as well as rented the movie version of David Belasco and Giacomo Puccini's play, Madama Butterfly. The movie was okay, since i didn't get to see the original play, although there are times it gets a bit dreary - theatre and film don't always mix very well. The recent cinematic release of A.L.W's Phantom of the Opera is also another case of an over-hyped movie that didn't stand up to the challenge (but IMO it is Gerard Butler's flat and lifeless delivery of the Phantom's most powerful lines that failed the movie).

After reading Hwang's play, the original story by Long, and watching the movie of Puccini's piece, the whole "Feminine East, Masculine West" sexual/political stereotype just gets pushed in your face. Of course, all that make great material to present reflections and raise arguments.

An interesting point of this play comes up during an exchange between the Chinese spy (in drag), Song Liling and his female government comrade:

SONG: Miss Chin? Why, in the Peking Opera, are women's roles played by men?

CHIN: I don't know. Maybe, a reactionary remnant of male-

SONG: No, Because only a man knows how a woman is supposed to act. (Hwang 63)

Well, if you can get a copy of Hwang's M. Butterfly to read I would love to hear your thoughts about it. I'm sure most libraries carry this book, or you can purchase it at your favorite store.