Dangerous Women, Warriors, Grannies And Geisha's Of The Ming
1167 Words5 Pages
The book, Dangerous Women, Warriors, Grannies and Geisha’s of the Ming, written by Victoria Cass, investigates the architypes of women who challenged societal boundaries during the Ming Dynasty. Using a plethora of sources, among them art journals, religious document and literature, the book presents the reader with a more detailed picture of the lives of these women living in the late Imperial Ming period. The book uses a plethora of sources, among art, journals, religious documents and literature, to restate both old familiar concepts and to introduce new ones, like the idea of the dangerous and troublesome woman. The Granny, the geisha, warriors, mystics, predators, recluses and malcontents are all brought to life with vivid color in Victoria…show more content… , Cass believes that Geishas were similar to recluses. She states, "Reclusiveness was at the heart of the role of the geisha; geishas were essentially artists, and art demanded privacy, whether the artist was male or female" (p. 35).))) The term Geisha takes on, a whole new meaning from its Japanese roots. Geishas were able to live lives outside of the inner quarters. The role of geisha gave women limited social freedom, they appeared in public the way few women ever appeared. [4] “In The late Ming, geisha life provided a life for the unaffiliated woman. A woman without essential social or clan support could prosper; she could own property, live in comfortable circumstance, enjoy stability and status”. [5]A geisha could become a woman of means and importance. They were able to become successful artists, intellectuals, and even achieve a level of fame.…show more content… But do not be fooled. Victoria Cass has not written bland boring textbook. But this book is different from the rest. It does not seek to explain or to understand the average Confucian ideal of womanhood. This book evaluated at the intrepid women, who bucked or challenged Confucian values. The narrative in Dangerous Women appears fast paced. The stories are gripping, interesting and insightful. The language used in the book creates and vibrant, pulsating images of the women of the women of late Imperial China. Dangerous Women, steps out of the daily lives of women, and into the mystical. At the same time it looks at the architypes of women that were used in literature and poetry, often to illustrate women’s inherent danger to