Concubine, text, and Gifts

1) class and patriarchy; 2) give and take

1809, Wu

Preface
一般来说，在“内言不出”的教条限制下，妇女更倾向于把自己所写的文字视为个人的隐私。诗文可以提高男性文人的名声，但对才女而言，把诗文泄露到外面，往往会败坏名声。从某种程度上说，她们本人就对自己的作品制造了检查。

1. Ambiguous status of Concubine in the Qing Great Codes (servant, trade, family member)
Xu Ying (servant)
Xu Ying (Family member)
When Polygamy was practiced in late imperial China, a Concubine and her offersprings had certain legitimate position in the family, but with a more inferior status (Watson, 1991, 231)
concubine was under the control of her parents-in-law, her husband, and her wife.

Women and property in China
A concubine had the right to succeed the property of her child (

2. Literature Representation of Qi
1) aiyuan, not recognized with virtue and beauty
2) jealousy
3)

2. Xu Ying as a soul-mate: Xu Ji Xiao Zhuan Self-Representation
a. Wu Qian's description: traveling and poetry
英雄气短，儿女情长，－－来消解八股文和其他俗务让他们产生的无力感 。而才女及其诗词的出现，可以让文人们对自己的失望，却唤起对理想女性的回归。吴骞，将徐莹看成自己的神女，是“以证道，去除心魔“的
世界是一个来去匆匆的舞台，成败得失早已命中注定

3. Materialize Xu Ying's Writing: give
pictures, calligraphy, and poetry collections, poems
女性文本成为女人的化身，才女书写的文字也会散发出才女身上的气息。

4. Creating a Talented Woman of Wu Family: take
a. Liang Tongshu's calligraphy about Xu Ji Xiao Zhuan. Conceal the fact that Wu has to paid.
b. his friends' poetry

5. Xu Ying's voices: How is her voices controlled through her own poetry, her
a. happy,

6. Creating a Talented Woman of Wu Family:
1) Zhu Lou Yi Gao
2) 1909 re-production of Xu Ying's picture


concubine in literary characterization and concubine in literati identity. The author concludes that concubine in late Ming and early Qing literature is essentially the dissident literati's stance against tyrannical politics, a psychological strategy to relieve anxiety over growing political inferiority