The Burden of Female Talent: The Poet Li Qingzhao and Her History in China

by Ronald C. Egan

Widely considered the preeminent Chinese woman poet, Li Qingzhao (1084-1150s) occupies a crucial place in China's literary and cultural history. She stands out as the great exception to the rule that the first-rank poets in premodern China were male. But at what price to our understanding of her as a writer does this distinction come? The Burden of Female Talent challenges conventional modes of thinking about Li Qingzhao as a devoted but often lonely wife and, later, a forlorn widow. By examining manipulations of her image by the critical tradition in later imperial times and into the twentieth century, Ronald C. Egan brings to light the ways in which critics sought to accommodate her to cultural norms, molding her "talent" to make it compatible with ideals of womanly conduct and identity. Contested images of Li, including a heated controversy concerning her remarriage and its implications for her "devotion" to her first husband, reveal the difficulty literary culture has had in coping with this woman of extraordinary conduct and ability. The study ends with a reappraisal of Li's poetry, freed from the autobiographical and reductive readings that were traditionally imposed on it and which remain standard even today.

Genres: Nonfiction, China, Poetry, Biography, Feminism, Literature, History

432 pages, Hardcover

First published January 20, 2014

Reviews

[Bowen Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading The Burden of Talented Women, I gained a deeper understanding of the misogyny present in literary criticism, particularly regarding female authorship. The book reveals the prejudice that many hold against women’s writing, often dismissing it as lacking transcendence and asserting that female writers merely write about themselves. However, this perspective actually reflects the fears and fragility of a patriarchal society. Women are often expected to conform to the male-constructed image of femininity in order to avoid being seen as problematic.

What is truly empowering about this book is the hope it conveys. Through the story of Li Qingzhao, an exceptional female poet constrained by gender taboos, we witness how she skillfully navigates the rules of a patriarchal society to achieve immortality in her work. Her resilience and creativity not only showcase her talent but also serve as a source of inspiration for all women, illustrating that we can carve out our own legacies despite the challenges posed by gender discrimination.

The Burden of Talented Women is not only a tribute to Li Qingzhao but also a re-evaluation of female authorship, encouraging us to reassess and appreciate the significant contributions of women in literature. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in gender equality and the expression of female voices.

[Leanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the history of the way the poet's life has been interpreted and molded by literary historians to fit historical standards of feminine behavior. her life and her poems have been accommodated to social norms and cultural norms over almost a thousand years. For example, poems not fitting the trope of the supportive female, lonely wife or forlorn widow are ignored. Something I found interesting was the way her poems have traditionally be interpreted as being autobiographical in a way none done with make poets. I suppose I always thought poetry to be mainly autobiographical--but I have not considered the way poetry can be fictional. Many male poets, according to Egan wrote in the guise of someone else. Like posing to be a woman or a famous persona etc.

He unpacked the way she was an equal partner and after her husband died she remarried she was divorced she was put in jail because of a lawsuit she was an incredibly interesting woman. I read this at the same time re-reading Wei Djao wonderful book A Blossom Like No Other.

For me the best part of the book was the translation. Even if clumsy or not lyrical, still they were very helpful as a learning aid for me. Highly recommend both books.

[Oscar · Rating 5 out of 5]

作者的行文堪称一流，很少能看到有翻译的这么好的，两位译者居功至伟。李清照是中国古代文学史上唯一一位不论如何都不能绕开的女性，能够开宗立派的女性，也就她一个人。本书对李的词作去伪存真进行了分辨，其实第二章对于其诗作的解读我觉得才是亮点。后半部分围绕改嫁以及后世的批评和平反，考据详实。我们今天主流叙事中，李清照和辛弃疾是南宋最顶级的两位词作家，也无不与五四以来女性主义的发展有关。不过，无论如何，在当时还是在后世，李清照本身就已经冠绝古今。

[FrancisCho · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most exciting and favorite part of this book is the narrative that discusses the Qing Dynasty literati's refusal to acknowledge the fact that Li Qingzhao remarried. The Song Dynasty was more tolerant of widows remarrying, and people at that time criticized/ridiculed Li Qingzhao because she married Zhang Ruzhou, who was despised by the world. However, in the Ming Dynasty, the government used official means, erecting archways, conferring virginity and other means to encourage widows to die in love rather than remain widowed. Therefore, starting from the Ming Dynasty, literati began to belittle Li Qingzhao's remarriage, thinking that it was unethical. In the Qing Dynasty, the Manchu rulers did not encourage widows to die in love, but encouraged them to remain widowed and vested the ownership of their dowry with the male family. At the same time, women's poetry and lyrics gradually became popular in the Qing Dynasty. However, in view of the spread of Neo-Confucianism, the Song Dynasty believed that women should stay in boudoir for a long time and should not be exposed to the public, and did not encourage women to engage in literary creation of a communication nature. As a result, in the Qing Dynasty, most literati targeted their inner literary idol Li Qingzhao and began to maliciously distort the documents left over from the Song Dynasty to prove that Li Qingzhao had never remarried. However, this is only due to the different social atmosphere between the Qing Dynasty and the Song Dynasty. This reminds me of the "Jian Shang" I read before. Most of the world's current understanding of Xia, Shang and Zhou comes from the Spring and Autumn Period, the chronicles and historical records compiled by Confucius and his descendants, historical novels from the Ming and Qing Dynasties, etc. But as As mentioned before, there was a gap of about 500 years between the Qing Dynasty and the Southern Song Dynasty, and there was also a gap of 500 years between the Xia and Shang dynasties when Confucius and his descendants compiled history books, including the Historical Records, which were written during the period of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. Since society had been completely "purified" by Confucianism After that, it is difficult to understand the social atmosphere at that time. The most obvious thing is that King Wu of Zhou implemented etiquette after he ascended the throne, and implemented a ban on alcohol in view of the lessons of the fall of Shang.

[Wenjing Fan]

读了20%才发现是男作家，我怎么会那么失手... 好晦气啊

[Sf9088 · Rating 4 out of 5]

感觉代言体这个问题还可以再展开。对中国抒情诗的阅读几乎都是自传性的，词的文体性质跟性别问题还可以讲得再多一点？总的来说还是非常精彩的研究。