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In setting out the aims of 'The Libertine's Friend' in his introduction, Giovanni Vitiello describes his work as a history of male homoeroticism in pre-modern China, with a focus on what may be learned from "ideologies of masculinity and romantic love as they are represented in fictional works spanning roughly three hundred years - from 'Stories from the Water Margin to Precious Mirror for Ranking Flowers', printed in 1550 and 1849, respectively" (p. 1). The resulting volume is a very welcome contribution to our understanding of the status of male homoeroticism in late imperial literati culture: a thorough, thoughtful and witty study representing two decades of patient work with the historical sources while at the same time taking careful note of developments in contemporary scholarship and debate. |
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