Objectification of Women in Harem Web Novels: An Analysis
Priyanka Babu1, Geetha Rpai2
1Priyanka Babu, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular & Human Genetics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
2Geetha Rpai, Associate Professor, Department of Molecular & Human Genetics, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India.
Manuscript received on 15 May 2019 | Revised Manuscript received on 22 May 2019 | Manuscript Published on 08 June 2019 | PP: 118-121 | Volume-8 Issue-7C May 2019 | Retrieval Number: G10210587C19/19©BEIESP
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© The Authors. Blue Eyes Intelligence Engineering and Sciences Publication (BEIESP). This is an open-access article under the CC-BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
Abstract: Web novels basically stand for those novels which are published online. There are many genres in webnovels, like martial ats, fiction, fantasy etc that set the tone for further development in this particular form of popular literature in China. It has many different characteristics short chapters, crisp writing etc that eased the onslaught brought about by the internet. This paper mainly deals with the depiction of women in the top three webnovels, of the year 2019. It will be analyzed based on the topic of objectification of females. The paper’s main focus will be on the treatment of women in harem novels. Harem, a subgenre of Chinese web novels is where a male or female protagonist is in a polygynous relationship with two or more love interests or sexual partners. A heterosexual male harem is called female harem or seraglios whereas if it is the opposite or a yaoi (male to many males) harem it is called male harem, reverse harem or gyaku harem. Here we take into consideration the top three popular webnovelsof the year 2019 and analyze the female characters present in it and their treatment. The top three most popular web novels include; Death March Kara Hajimaru Isekai Kyosoukyoku, Everyone Else is a Returnee, and Against the Gods.
Keywords: Harem Novels, Web Novels, Objectification, Concubinage, Trophy/Trophies, Inert, Instrument, Autonomy, Interchangeable, Fungible, Violable, Ownership, Reduction to Body, Reduction to Appearance, Silencing, Conquer, Object of Desire.
Scope of the Article: Social Sciences