{"product_id":"the-courtesans-memory-voice-and-late-ming-drama-9780472077229","title":"The Courtesan's Memory, Voice, and Late Ming Drama","description":"Peng Xu's \u003ci\u003eThe Courtesan's Memory, Voice, and Late Ming Drama\u003c\/i\u003e argues that courtesans of the era played an active role in the theater and their impact manifested in Chinese literary history, albeit concealed or erased. In the late Ming dynasty (1368-1644), theater was dominated by male performers with professional actresses largely absent from the stage, unlike in the Yuan dynasty (1271-1368), where women performed without restriction in theater troupes. Despite the prevailing assumption that women played no part in the theatrical movement, \u003ci\u003eThe Courtesan's Memory, Voice, and Late Ming Drama \u003c\/i\u003eilluminates how courtesans, as serious theater artists and playwrights, left a significant mark on the male-dominated dramatic and literary landscapes. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e This study profoundly remaps the textbook narratives of gender bias, challenges modern prejudices prevalent in the literary history of Chinese drama, and reveals how theatrical conditions and writing styles shifted to accommodate courtesan performances. Utilizing a wide range of sources such as scripts, city guides, biographies, diaries, letters, wood-block illustrations, and paintings, this study distinguishes itself from earlier studies of Chinese courtesans by not thematizing courtesans for their allegorical values, but rather pinpointing their agency in shaping the features of Chinese theater and recognizing courtesans as a source of creativity and development in the medium. Xu's focus on courtesan performance culture allows for fresh readings of canonical Chinese plays, opening up new ways of understanding the history of Chinese drama written by women, thus deviating from standard historiography based solely on the writings of men. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeng Xu\u003c\/b\u003e is Associate Professor of the Institute of Humanities at ShanghaiTech University.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"University of Michigan Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51690605805842,"sku":"9780472077229","price":93.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_0a4816cc-614b-4f86-9809-61e022869cc0.jpg?v=1761741206","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-courtesans-memory-voice-and-late-ming-drama-9780472077229","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}