In this Book

summary
The frequent appearance of androgyny in Ming and Qing literature has long interested scholars of late imperial Chinese culture. A flourishing economy, widespread education, rising individualism, a prevailing hedonism--all of these had contributed to the gradual disintegration of traditional gender roles in late Ming and early Qing China (1550-1750) and given rise to the phenomenon of androgyny. Now, Zuyan Zhou sheds new light on this important period, offering a highly original and astute look at the concept of androgyny in key works of Chinese fiction and drama from the sixteenth to the eighteenth centuries. The work begins with an exploration of androgyny in Chinese philosophy and Ming-Qing culture. Zhou proceeds to examine chronologically the appearance of androgyny in major literary writing of the time, yielding novel interpretations of canonical works from The Plum in the Golden Vase, through the scholar-beauty romances, to The Dream of the Red Chamber. He traces the ascendance of the androgyny craze in the late Ming, its culmination in the Ming-Qing transition, and its gradual phasing out after the mid-Qing. The study probes deviations from engendered codes of behavior both in culture and literature, then focuses on two parallel areas: androgyny in literary characterization and androgyny in literati identity. The author concludes that androgyny in late Ming and early Qing literature is essentially the dissident literati's stance against tyrannical politics, a psychological strategy to relieve anxiety over growing political inferiority.

Table of Contents

restricted access Download Full Book
  1. Cover
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Frontmatter
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Contents
  2. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Acknowledgments
  2. pp. ix-x
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Introduction: Androgyny Defined
  2. pp. 1-6
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Chapter 1. Androgyny in Chinese Philosophy
  2. pp. 7-14
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Chapter 2. Gender Ambiguity in Late Ming and Early Qing Culture
  2. pp. 15-46
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Chapter 3. The Plum in the Golden Vase: A Prelude to the Androgyny Craze
  2. pp. 47-68
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Chapter 4. The Peony Pavilion: A Paean to the Androgynous Ideal
  2. pp. 69-94
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Chapter 5. Scholar-Beauty Romance: Idealistic Expression of the Androgynous Vision
  2. pp. 95-126
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Chapter 6. The Peach Blossom Fan: An Ambivalent Hymn to Political Androgyny
  2. pp. 127-154
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Chapter 7. The Dream of the Red Chamber: A Shattered Dream of Androgyny?
  2. pp. 155-198
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Chapter 8. Conclusion: Androgyny as Literary Trend and Strategy in Fashioning Chinese Literati Identity
  2. pp. 199-210
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Appendix. Symbolic Values and Gender Associations of Some Flowers and Plants in Chinese Literature
  2. pp. 211-214
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Notes
  2. pp. 215-282
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Glossary
  2. pp. 283-286
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Selected Bibliography
  2. pp. 287-312
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
  1. Index
  2. pp. 313-324
  3. restricted access
    • Download PDF Download
Back To Top

This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. Without cookies your experience may not be seamless.