AMES3362

This class surveys the surprisingly diverse and vibrant tradition of women writers in Chinese cultural history, which during its long imperial period (221 B.C.E.-1911 C.E.) was dominated by a male-centered cultural order. The class situates individual women writers within their specific historical settings and larger cultural backdrops, thus introducing students to literary themes, gender dynamics, and conditions of cultural production in Chinese history. The class also addresses complex shifts in female writing and its social presence across the premodern-modern transition. Taught in English and no prerequisites.