Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-2019
Publication Title
Chinese Literature, Essays, Articles, Reviews
Abstract
This paper examines a particular character type in Qing vernacular short stories: clever women who test the definition of feminine virtue by acting admirably outside normal gender boundaries. These female protagonists argue, meddle in men's business, divert property from the patriline, and even lose their chastity - yet each of them is presented as unquestionably virtuous. The rhetorical approaches by which their male authors present them in a positive light illuminate the strategies available to men and women for thinking creatively about gender in Qing China.
Volume
41
First Page
83
Last Page
108
ISSN
01619705
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Rights
Licensed to Smith College and distributed CC-BY under the Smith College Faculty Open Access Policy.
Recommended Citation
Moyer, Jessica, "Savvy Women and Boundary Negotiations in Qing Fiction" (2019). East Asian Languages & Cultures: Faculty Publications, Smith College, Northampton, MA.
https://scholarworks.smith.edu/eas_facpubs/12
Comments
Peer reviewed accepted manuscript.