Women and Buddhism in Charles Johnson's Oxherding Tale

My thesis explores the role of women in Charles Johnson’s 1982 novel Oxherding Tale and their treatment in a variety of ways, but particularly in relation to Johnson's Buddhist beliefs. For Johnson, Buddhism is a way in... [ view full abstract ]

My thesis explores the role of women in Charles Johnson’s 1982 novel Oxherding Tale and their treatment in a variety of ways, but particularly in relation to Johnson's Buddhist beliefs. For Johnson, Buddhism is a way in which one can separate oneself from the inhabited body and overcome the many restrictions associated with physical attributes, namely race. However, this does not appear to be the case for women in the novel. I analyze this tension in Oxherding Tale via close reading of the novel itself, as well as looking at some of Johnson’s other fictional works, critical writings, and interviews. In looking at Oxherding Tale through both the feminist and Buddhist lenses separately and sometimes simultaneously, my objective is to provide an innovative reading of the novel that did not previously exist in secondary literature.