"Ko challenges simplistic depictions of women as victims and argues that within their social and cultural constraints, a women's literary culture developed that transcended public and private spheres and redefined womanhood. . . . This multifaceted book is a breakthrough in the study of women as part of Chinese cultural and social history."—Choice

• Introduction: gender and the politics of Chinese history; Part I. Social and Private Histories: 1. In the floating world: women and commercial publishing; 2. The enchantment of love in The Poetry Pavilion; Part II. Womanhood: 3. Margins of domesticity: enlarging the women's sphere; 4. Talent, virtue, and beauty: rewriting womanhood; Part III. Women's culture: 5. Domestic communities: male and female domains; 6. Social and public communities: genealogies across time and space; 7. Transitory communities: courtesan, wife, and professional artist; Epilogue; Reference matter; Notes; Index.