Tracing variations of a Chinese story about a young woman who dons military armor and goes to battle in her father's place, Lan Dong draws a compelling and complex portrait of the character widely known as Mulan. Examining the heroine tradition in premodern China and following Mulan through the centuries and across continents, Dong also reads Kingston's novel, Disney's and other films, as well as several children's books.
Fall 2010
