“Libidinal Predicament” of Women in Li Bihua’s Novels: The Struggle Between Desire and Social Discipline

Abstract

Li Bihua is a highly influential writer in Chinese-language literature, whose female characters are often ensnared in libidinal predicaments. Grounded in Freud's theory of libido and expanded through Jung’s interpretation of libido as a general life force, this paper examines works such as Rouge, Green Snake, and Dumplings to analyze the multifaceted expressions of female libido under traditional repression, alienation and distortion, resolute resistance, and obsessive affection. By deconstructing the disciplinary cage formed by the hierarchical shackles of feudal ethics, the stigmatizing narratives of tradition, and the historical closed loop of fatalistic reincarnation, the study reveals the complex dynamics of women’s libidinal expressions manifested in psychological fragmentation, extreme behavior, and struggles for subjectivity. It further articulates a critique of the alienation of female life energy under patriarchal discipline, offering a literary mirror for the deconstruction of gendered power structures.