| This dissertation examines a body of late imperial Chinese novels, written between the latter half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, in which courtesans and prostitutes figure as main characters. This study shows the complex ways in which these novels reproduce and engage with historical practices and perceptions regarding issues of gender, sexuality, love, and the economics of consumption.; By reconstructing the journey of fictional courtesans through the world of sex consumption, as well as the development of the legend of the real-life courtesan Sai Jinhua---one of China's most famous courtesans---, this dissertation focuses on ruptures and continuities with previous literary representations of the relationship between men and courtesans. It also deconstructs the world of fin-de-siecle male fantasies and anxieties, to emphasize how certain traditional depictions of femininity and masculinity changed in the late Qing period and to understand the forces behind these changes.; Chapter 1 deals with the beginnings of the "courtesan's progress" and with the concept of shishen, or "loss of the body," by looking at the courtesan's childhood, and at the different forms of (violent and nonviolent) socialization of female and male bodies in the brothels. Chapter 2 examines the issue of love and companionship between young courtesans and men, and how the relationship between them echoes that of China as a nation vis-a-vis the West, by studying economic and social issues such as modernity and modernization. Chapter 3 illuminates how courtesans and prostitutes interact with each other and with women of other social classes, and what kinds of alliances and rivalries exist between them. Chapter 4 analyzes the last phase of the fictional journey of a courtesan in the world of late Qing vernacular fiction, and the ways, if any, in which the she might socially and morally redeem herself. Chapter 5 leaves the realm of fictional representations to analyze an interview conducted with Sai Jinhua, and how her story compares with the fictional representations presented in the previous chapters. The conclusion underscores that late Qing models of representations of prostitution are extremely important tools to understand gender roles in China: the impact of these novels on later Chinese literary works, from the turn-of-the-century to the present---especially from the point of view of the Sai Jinhua's legend---, demonstrates the durability and the relevance of the tropes late Qing male authors created. |
