• ISSN: 2382-6282 (Print); 2972-3108 (Online)
    • Abbreviated Title: Int. J. Lang. Lit. Linguist.
    • Frequency: Quarterly
    • DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL
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HOME > Archives > 2026 > Volume 12 Number 3 (2026) >
IJLLL 2026 Vol.12(3): 205-208
DOI: 10.18178/IJLLL.2026.12.3.659

Historicity of Texts: An Analysis of M. Butterfly from the Perspective of New Historicism

Xiaoni Jian
School of English and International Studies, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China
Email: 202311680871@stu.blcu.edu.cn

Manuscript received July 2, 2026; accepted July 29, 2026; published August 26, 2026

Abstract—This paper looks into famous playwright David Henry Hwang’s M. Butterfly with New Historicism, building concrete links between the play and the real-world historical contexts from which it emerged. It works through textual close reading of the play’s dialogues and key scenes to uncover hidden meanings within the text. According to Louis Montrose’s concept of “the historicity of texts”, the study focuses on how the play’s treatments of cultural stereotype, gender roles, and political events is influenced by the complex historical conditions of the 1980s. It further discusses how the play takes an active part in the major intellectual movements at that time. By analyzing content and plot in the play, we can better understand that literary text absorbs impacts from its historical moment, and it also brings new perspectives that feed into ongoing historical construction. This paper argues that M. Butterfly offers a clear example of how a text is both shaped by and participating in history.
 
Keywords—M. Butterfly, historicity of texts, New Historicism

Cite: Xiaoni Jian, "Historicity of Texts: An Analysis of M. Butterfly from the Perspective of New Historicism," International Journal of Languages, Literature and Linguistics, vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 205-208, 2026.

Copyright © 2026 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).


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