. We have hinted at what The Woman Warrior's genre is before--what is it? How would you describe Maxine Hong Kingston's style of prose? How does it function? What are the relationship between the narrator's life, myth, and her mother's background? 'The Woman Warrior' can be classified as 'talk-story,' which has its origins in Haiwaiian, meaning to chat or gossip. It is tempting to relate this to MHK's own life, as she moved to Hawaii after participating in anti-war protests to write 'The Woman Warrior' as well as 'China Men' (1980). MHK has an extraordinarily lucid and poetic style of prose- almost as if she is dreaming, which brings to mind William Blake's messy fever dreams. Her stylistic choice perhaps plays into how she intends to communicate her subject matter- the stuff of legend. However, in 'Shaman,' when she is talking about her American life, instead of relating Brave Orchid's, her mother, stories, t...