Two Centuries of Manchu Women Poets: An Anthology

by Wilt L. Idema (Translator)

Overview

This anthology presents substantial selections from the work of twenty Manchu women poets of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. The poems, inspired by their daily life and reflections, provide fascinating insights into the experiences and emotions of these women, most of whom belonged to the elite families of Manchu society. Each selection is accompanied by biographical material that illuminates the life stories of the poets. The volume’s introduction describes the printing history of the collections from which these poems are drawn, the authors’ practice of poetry writing, ethnic and gender issues, and comparisons with the poetry of women in South China and of male authors of the Qing dynasty (1644–1911).

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780295999876
Publisher:	University of Washington Press
Publication date:	04/03/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	328
File size:	5 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Wilt L. Idema is professor emeritus of Chinese literature at Harvard University. He is the translator of Heroines of Jiangyong: Chinese Narrative Ballads in Women’s Script and Meng Jiangnu Brings Down the Great Wall: Ten Versions of a Chinese Legend, and coauthor of The Red Brush: Writing Women of Imperial China.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. The Women of the Nalan Family: Miss Nalan, Sibo, and Madam Zhaojia

2. A Prisoner’s Mother and Wife: The Mistress of the Study for Nurturing Simplicity and the Mistress of the Orchid Pavilion

3. Chastity and Suicide: Xiguang

4. Mourning Royalty: Lady Zhoujia, Lady Tongjia, and Lady Fucha

5. Sacrifice and Friendship: Bingyue

6. A Tomboy in a Silly Dress: Mengyue

7. Unbridled Energy: Yingchuan

8. Releasing Butterflies: Wanyan Jinchi

9. Seeking Refuge in Truth: Guizhen Daoren

10. Traveling throughout the Empire: Baibao Youlan

11. A Proud Descendant of Chinggis Khan: Naxun Lanbao

12. From Hengyang to Beijing: Lingwen Zhuyou

13. The Modest Pursuit of a Minor Way: Duomin Huiru

14. A Poet from the Homeland: Lady Husihali

Abbreviations

Notes

Glossary of Chinese Characters

Bibliography

Index

What People are Saying About This

Evelyn Rawski

"Each poem is meticulously handled. . . . And while the text is accessible to a general readership, Idema has equipped the anthology with tools that specialized researchers will appreciate."

Xiaorong Li

"Demonstrating erudition in premodern Chinese literature and a critical perspective that allows him to move beyond the boundaries of one culture, Wilt Idema provides precious materials for historians of Manchu society and culture."

Editorial Reviews

This volume is a very welcome addition to the growing body of women’s poetry from late imperial China. Idema’s fine translation makes accessible once again the rich lives, experiences and feelings of poets long forgotten by history.

Chinese Literature: Essays

"This volume is a very welcome addition to the growing body of women’s poetry from late imperial China. Idema’s fine translation makes accessible once again the rich lives, experiences and feelings of poets long forgotten by history."

Chinese Literature: Essays

"Idema presents fine translations of the poetry of nineteen Manchu women in the Qing dynasty (1644-1911) in fourteen chapters, contextualizing each poet and her work by providing vital biographical background. In doing so, Idema offers English readers a fascinating body of materials that invites comparative thinking and discussion on issues of writing, identity, and life experience in relation to gender and ethnicity. . . . The field of women’s literature is much enriched by his wide-ranging scholarship and superb skill in translation."

Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature (TSWL) - Grace S. Fong

"Offers new insights into how these women both accommodated and adapted Chinese poetic conventions to their own situation. The translations are sensitively written and reflect the impressionistic nature, emotionality and poignancy that characterize the oeuvre of these women."

Monumenta Serica - Anne E. McLaren

"Exhibiting the deft touch of an experienced translator, Idema has rendered these women’s compositions into exquisite yet accessible language. . . . [This anthology] challenges us to confront and rethink many of the preconceived notions and categories that we have used to analyze topics regarding gender and ethnicity, potentially opening the door for new exciting research in these fields."

China Review International: A Journal of Reviews of Scholarly Literature in Chinese Studies - Bingyu Zheng