Two young gentry women meet by chance at a nunnery in Yangzhou,
where they fall in love at first sight. After they exchange poetry
and recognize each other's literary talents, their emotional bond
deepens. They conduct a mock wedding ceremony at the nunnery and
hatch a plan to spend the rest of their lives together. Their
schemes are stymied by a series of obstacles, but in the end the
two women find an unlikely resolution-a menage-a-trois marriage.
The Fragrant Companions is the most significant work of literature
that portrays female same-sex love in the entire premodern Chinese
tradition. Written in 1651 by Li Yu, one of the most inventive and
irreverent literary figures of seventeenth-century China, this play
is at once an unconventional romantic comedy, a barbed satire, and
a sympathetic portrayal of love between women. It offers a
sensitive portrait of the two women's passion for each other,
depicts their intellectual pursuits and resourcefulness, and
celebrates their partial triumph over social convention. At the
same time, Li caustically mocks the imperial examination system and
deflates the idealized image of the male scholar. The Fragrant
Companions is both an indispensable source for students and
scholars of gender and sexuality in premodern China and a
compelling work of literature for all readers interested in China's
rich theatrical traditions.
General
| Imprint: |
Columbia University Press
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Series: |
Translations from the Asian Classics |
| Release date: |
July 2022 |
| Authors: |
Li Yu
(Book Review Editor)
|
| Translators: |
Stephen Roddy
(Book Review Editor)
• Ying Wang
|
| Dimensions: |
216 x 140mm (L x W) |
| Format: |
Hardcover - Trade binding
|
| Pages: |
400 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-231-20628-0 |
| Languages: |
English
|
| Subtitles: |
Chinese
|
| Categories: |
Books >
Language & Literature >
Literature: texts >
Drama texts, plays >
General
|
| LSN: |
0-231-20628-3 |
| Barcode: |
9780231206280 |
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