The Pitfalls of Piety for Married Women: Two Precious Scrolls of the Ming Dynasty

by Cornell University Press

Overview

The Pitfalls of Piety for Married Women shows how problematic the practice of Buddhist piety could be in late imperial China. Two thematically related "precious scrolls" (baojuan) from the Ming dynasty, The Precious Scroll of the Red Gauze and The Precious Scroll of the Handkerchief, illustrate the difficulties faced by women whose religious devotion conflicted with the demands of marriage and motherhood.

These two previously untranslated texts tell the stories of married women whose piety causes them to be separated from their husbands and children. While these women labor far away, their children are cruelly abused by murderous stepmothers. Following many adventures, the families are reunited by divine intervention and the evil stepmothers get their just deserts. While the texts in The Pitfalls of Piety for Married Women praise Buddhist piety, they also reveal many problems concerning married women and mothers.

Wilt L. Idema's translations are preceded by an introduction that places these scrolls in the context of Ming dynasty performative literature, vernacular literature, and popular religion. Set in a milieu of rich merchants, the texts provide a unique window to family life of the time, enriching our understanding of gender during the Ming dynasty. These popular baojuan offer rare insights into lay religion and family dynamics of the Ming dynasty, and their original theme and form enrich our understanding of the various methods of storytelling that were practiced at the time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781501758362
Publisher:	Cornell University Press
Publication date:	08/15/2021
Pages:	228
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.94(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Wilt L. Idema is Professor Emeritus of Chinese Literature at Harvard University. He has translated or cotranslated numerous works in the traditions of Chinese fiction, drama, and storytelling, and his books include Personal Salvation and Filial Piety and The Immortal Maiden Equal to Heaven and Other Precious Scrolls from Western Gansu.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Buddhist Preaching and Storytelling: Transformation Texts and Precious Scrolls
Female Piety in Precious Scrolls: Miaoshan and Woman Huang
Precious Scrolls of the Sixteenth Century: Hagiographies, Sectarian Writings, Formal Features,andPerformance
The Precious Scroll of the Handkerchief
The Precious Scroll of the Red Gauze
The Third Lad and the Printing History of the Precious Scroll of the Red Gauze
The Precious Scroll, as Preached by theBuddha, of Little Huaxian: How Woman Yang as a Ghost Embroidered Red Gauze
The Precious Scroll, as Preached by the Buddha, of the Handkerchief: How Wang Zhongqing Lost Everything

What People are Saying About This

Anne Rebull

Idema has provided a collection of texts that speak to each other as well as to universal themes of domestic life, which he has framed carefully within the tradition of pious women in baojuan. The translations are extremely high quality, both accessible and considered, and add to a burgeoning treasure trove of interdisciplinary literature in translation.

Katherine Alexander

Wilt L. Idema's translations deserve their reputation for scrupulous accuracy. Admirable and accessible, the translations in this book of the full-length baojuan translated in this manuscript will be excellent teaching resources guaranteed to spark conversation in the classroom.

Editorial Reviews

A valuable resource for scholars of Asian studies, in particular popular literature and religious studies. Highly recommended.

Choice