Women shall not rule : imperial wives and concubines in China from Han to Liao / Keith McMahon.
2013
DS747.45 .M37 2013 (Mapit)
Available at General Collection
Items
Details
Title
Women shall not rule : imperial wives and concubines in China from Han to Liao / Keith McMahon.
Author
McMahon, Keith.
ISBN
9781442222892 (hardcover)
1442222891 (hardcover)
9781442222908 (electronic book)
1442222891 (hardcover)
9781442222908 (electronic book)
Published
Lanham : Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 2013.
Language
English
Description
xiii, 295 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Call Number
DS747.45 .M37 2013
Dewey Decimal Classification
951/.0109252
Summary
"Chinese emperors guaranteed male successors by taking multiple wives, in some cases hundreds and even thousands. Women Shall Not Rule offers a fascinating history of imperial wives and concubines, especially in light of the greatest challenges to polygamous harmony--rivalry between women and their attempts to engage in politics. Besides ambitious empresses and concubines, these vivid stories of the imperial polygamous family are also populated with prolific emperors, wanton women, libertine men, cunning eunuchs, and bizarre cases of intrigue and scandal among rival wives. Keith McMahon, a leading expert on the history of gender in China, draws upon decades of research to describe the values and ideals of imperial polygamy and the ways in which it worked and did not work in real life. His rich sources are both historical and fictional, including poetic accounts and sensational stories told in pornographic detail. Displaying rare historical breadth, his lively and fascinating study will be invaluable as a comprehensive and authoritative resource for all readers interested in the domestic life of royal palaces across the world."--Publisher's website.
Bibliography, etc. Note
Includes bibliographical references (pages 277-279) and index.
Record Appears in
On-Campus Resources > Books
All Resources
All Resources
Table of Contents
Prologue: Sexual Politics and State Politics
Part I. Early China, 1250 BCE-317 CE. The Institution and Values of Royal Polygamy
Empresses and Consorts of the Former Han, 206 BCE-25 CE
The Later Han to the End of the Western Jin, 25-317
Conclusion to Part I: A Review of Themes from the Biographies of Empresses and Consorts
Part II. The Eastern Jin to the Reign of Wu Zetian, 317-712. The Period of Disunity, 317-589
The Sui and Early Tang Dynasties to Empress Wu, 581-705
Conclusion to Part II: The Question of Female Rulership
Part III. The High Tang to the Liao, 712-1125. The Tang from Xuanzong to Its Fall, 712-907
The Five Dynasties, Ten Kingdoms, and the Liao, 907-1125
Conclusion to Part III: Strong Women and Weak Men.
Part I. Early China, 1250 BCE-317 CE. The Institution and Values of Royal Polygamy
Empresses and Consorts of the Former Han, 206 BCE-25 CE
The Later Han to the End of the Western Jin, 25-317
Conclusion to Part I: A Review of Themes from the Biographies of Empresses and Consorts
Part II. The Eastern Jin to the Reign of Wu Zetian, 317-712. The Period of Disunity, 317-589
The Sui and Early Tang Dynasties to Empress Wu, 581-705
Conclusion to Part II: The Question of Female Rulership
Part III. The High Tang to the Liao, 712-1125. The Tang from Xuanzong to Its Fall, 712-907
The Five Dynasties, Ten Kingdoms, and the Liao, 907-1125
Conclusion to Part III: Strong Women and Weak Men.