Courtesans, Concubines, and the Cult of Female Fidelity (Hardcover)

This book traces changing gender relations in China from the tenth to fourteenth centuries by examining three critical categories of women: courtesans, concubines, and faithful wives. It shows how the intersection and mutual influence of these groups and of male discourses about them transformed ideas about family relations and the proper roles of men and women. Courtesan culture profoundly affected Song social and family life, as entertainment skills became a defining feature of a new model of concubinage and entertainer-concubines increasingly became mothers of literati sons. Neo-Confucianism, the new moral learning of the Song, was in turn significantly shaped by this entertainment culture and the new markets in women it created. Responding to a broad social consensus, Neo-Confucians called for enhanced ritual recognition of concubine mothers and expressed increased concern about wifely jealousy. The book also details the sometimes surprising origins of the Late Imperial cult of fidelity, showing that from its inception the drive to celebrate female loyalty stemmed from a complex amalgam of political, social, and moral agendas. By taking women and men s relationships with them seriously, Beverly Bossler demonstrates the centrality of gender relations in the social, political, and intellectual life of the Song and Yuan dynasties."

General

Imprint:	Harvard University Asia Center
Country of origin:	United States
Series:	Harvard-Yenching Institute Monograph Series
Release date:	March 2013
First published:	March 2013
Authors:	Beverly Bossler
Dimensions:	229 x 152 x 36mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	480
ISBN-13:	978-0-674-06669-4
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > World history > 500 to 1500 Books > Humanities > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > General Books > Social sciences > Sociology, social studies > Gender studies > Women's studies > General Books > History > Asian / Middle Eastern history > General Books > History > World history > 500 to 1500
LSN:	0-674-06669-3
Barcode:	9780674066694

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