Reverie and Reality

Reverie and Reality investigates late imperial Chinese gentry women’s poems on travel ranging from the seventeenth century to the early twentieth century.These poems written by groups of women after they "stepped out of the inner quarters" display their diverse journeys, profound experiences of social life, and earnest sentiments. Their travel and poems on travel can be considered milestones in the histories of women’s life and literature.

Yanning Wang is assistant professor of Chinese in the Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics at Florida State University.

Acknowledgements Introduction Part I: Reverie Chapter One: Recumbent Travel: Liberation and Limitation Chapter Two: Roaming as a Female Transcendent Part II: Reality Chapter Three: Women's Footprints beyond the Inner Quarters Chapter Four: A Manchu Woman's Short Excursions Chapter Five: Women's International Travels in the Late Qing Epilogue