Gender Perspective:A New View of Errantry Novels in Qing Dynasty

Woman errantry in Chinese classical and vernacular has different origins with the former being the successor of scholar tradition of of Tang Dynasty and the latter influenced by the type of black art character of Song Dynasty. Stylistically,woman errantry in early Qing Dynasty follows the narrative of Tang Dynasty and the legendary method of PU Song-ling characterized by its grotesqueness,which possesses plasticity. Method of carrying out heroic action changes from feat to those woman quality like body and beauty. In late Qing Dynasty,the errantry is mixed up with girl of the street. Woman errantry in can be divided into beautiful errantry in novels about hero and heroine and bewitching errantry in legendary novels. Their social identity and gender features decide the plot pattern and marriage theme of the novels. Novels in Qing Dynasty shows the returning tendency from errantry to woman quality and traditional gender role and the change of woman virtue in Ming and Qing Dynasty is the very reason for this transformation.