Editorship, canonicity and nostalgia in Wang Duanshu’s Collection of Elegance (1667)

Abstract

This thesis explores a textual analysis of ‘Collection of Elegance’, a sub-collection of Wang Duanshu’s edited collection, Classical Poetry of Notable Women (1667), in order to reveal the gender power relations at the heart of the editing and publishing industry of the Chinese late- Ming and early-Qing elite life. This thesis falls into two thematic parts: the first, consisting of two chapters, asserts the significance of Wang Duanshu and particularly her editorial work as a subject of study. The second section, consisting of a further three chapters, offers a detailed insight into Wang’s editorial strategies and objectives focusing on the following three themes: 1. Wang Duanshu uses established male discourse of music critique to claim a role for women in the male elite cultural conversation of song-writing; 2. Wang Duanshu uses established male discourse of cultural ideal of late-Ming courtesans and their culture as expressions of imperial nostalgia and Chinese-ness; 3. through her ‘reproductive authorial role’ as an editor, Wang Duanshu elevates gentlewomen’s song and seeks intellectual recognition for its technical artistry. In the late-Ming era, it was a privilege to be an author and critic of the song genre qu; a position accessible almost exclusively by the male cultural elite. Wang Duanshu challenged the conceptualization of authorship by bringing a critical lens to the gendering of authorial roles. This thesis seeks to understand the articulation of authorship as a contested notion in late-Ming print culture. Wang Duanshu’s dual role as curator of the texts and textual commentator is explored: Wang Duanshu’s role is not only editorial, but also authorial. Her reproductive authorship through the material presentation of works also re-introduces texts as part of the ongoing discourses of gender identities and women’s voices.