The Construction of Female Images in Zero Focus

Abstract

Seicho Matsumoto is a famous Japanese detective fiction writer, and one of the three masters of detective fiction in the world. The subject of investigation was not just the crime but also the society affected. By reading his works, readers can feel as if they are immersed in the social context of that era. In terms of character setting, the role of the detective is usually not a professional such as a police officer or a lawyer, but an ordinary woman. Secondly, female criminals often appear in Matsumoto’s novels. Analyzing the construction of female images is of great significance for studying Matsumoto’s novels.

This paper takes Zero Focus as the research object, focuses on the issue of female image construction, and makes a detailed interpretation of the three female images in Zero Focus, aiming to discover the light and shadow on them, and to summarize and analyze the causes of their female images.