Guest Post: Weina Dai Randel's Boldest Women, Finest Monarchs
Boldest
Women, Finest Monarchs
– A
comparison between Empress Wu, Cleopatra VII, Queen Elizabeth I, and
Catherine the Great
Weina
Dai Randel
The Moon in the Palace and
The Empress of Bright Moon to agents, I was told I needed a
log line, a distinct one-sentence that would catch the agents'
interest and also describe my novels succinctly.
I thought about it
for months, and in the end, I used this log line – my novels
describe the journey of Empress Wu, who is known as Chinese
Cleopatra.
It worked. The
agents were interested and asked for more. But I knew in my heart
that my Chinese friends would look at me askance and question me, and
I felt compelled to explain.
Empress Wu is a
household name in China, but not many people in the U.S. have heard
of her. To describe her in a term that American readers would
understand, I had to think and choose some well-known female rulers.
There are only a handful of notable women to consider: Cleopatra VII,
Queen Elizabeth I, and Catherine the Great.
We are all familiar
with the story of Pharaoh Cleopatra VII. Forever immortalized by
Elizabeth Taylor, Cleopatra VII was beautiful, the last of the
Ptolemy family to rule ancient Egypt. We all know the tale of how she
had a feud with her brother, how she sought help from Julius Caesar,
how she gained her control over Egypt and how she ended up with Marc
Antony.
(Source:
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/who-was-cleopatra-151356013/?page=2&no-ist)
Like Cleopatra who
had a relationship with two powerful men, Empress Wu had a tangled
relationship with two emperors, a father and a son, in fact.
(An image of Empress
Wu created in the 18th century. )
Empress Wu, also
known as Wu Zetian, was summoned to the palace to serve Emperor
Taizong in the seventh century China. After the Emperor's death,
against all conventions and expectations, she married his son,
Emperor Gaozong, and became the Empress of China. Her affair with
Emperor Gaozong was vital to her ascend to power, but the fact the
she might have shared the bed with the father and the son would
become the fodder of the scandal.
As a result, like
Cleopatra, whom many believed she had to seduce Julius Caesar when
she tumbled out of the carpet, some Chinese historians painted
Empress Wu as the seductress. They also claimed that Empress Wu
seduced Emperor Gaozong in her transparent gauze gowns before he
became the emperor. My novel, The Moon in the Palace, would
present another perspective of their relationship; nonetheless, this
view was assumed for many years.
The similar view of
Empress Wu and Cleopatra can also be seen from the movies poster
about the two women. Look at their poses, their bare legs!
(Left: Antony and
Cleopatra. Right: Hong Kong movie Empress Wu Zetian in 1963.
source:
http://www.yesasia.com/us/empress-wu-dvd-hong-kong-version/1004103418-0-0-0-en/info.html)
The popular image
of Empress as a seductress tends to ignore the fact that she was a
ruler, a woman who brought the country to prosperity and left a
glorious legacy to the county. During her reign, China thrived in
trade, architecture, religion, art, literature, and military
expansion, became a role model for the neighboring countries and
blossomed into the Golden Age.
So if you think of
her achievement, you may think Empress Wu had a lot in common with
Queen Elizabeth I.
(Source:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/british/tudors/elizabeth_i_01.shtml)
Queen Elizabeth I,
ruling England from 1558 to 1603, was perhaps one of the defining
monarchs in the world history. Daughter of the ill-fated Anne Boleyn,
Queen Elizabeth I was intelligent, deft at politics, and supported by
many able counselors. During her reign, popular culture in England
flourished, and England's territory was expanded overseas by a number
of famous explorers. Her reign, like Empress Wu, was regarded as the
Golden Age in England.
Ironically,
Elizabeth I and Empress Wu also suffered the same accusation of their
rule because of their gender. The preacher John Knox, who resented
women rulers, would call Queen Elizabeth I a “monstrous regiment”,
and similarly, the Confucian scholars would attack Empress Wu,
calling “a hen must not crow like a rooster.”
Another powerful
woman ruler I have to mention is Catherine the Great of Russia.
(source:
http://www.biography.com/people/catherine-ii-9241622)
Relatively unknown
to readers in America, Catherine the Great, was born in 1729 as
Sophie von Anhalt-Zerbst, and married into Russia's Romanov family.
The marriage was deemed unhappy, and it was said Catherine the Great
had three lovers and illegitimate children while she was married to
Peter. At the height of the conflict between Catherine the great and
Peter, she ended up unseating her husband and established her reign
in 1762. She ruled Russia for almost 34 years, which is considered
the Golden Age of Russia, and she was credited with pulling Russia
out of “medieval stupor and into a modern world.”
I didn't mention
Catherine the Great in the log line because she's not well-known in
the U.S., and Elizabeth I was known as the virgin queen, only the
suggestion of Cleopatra would indicate a fascinating romance, which
is an important plot in The Moon in the Palace.
But these women
were all powerful in their times, and as historical records showed,
they were all well educated, intelligent, skillful with their methods
of negotiation, and their reigns left an invaluable legacy for their
countries. History would also indicate these women were promoters of
art, education, and culture. And like all other women, they were
vain, concerned about their beauty and loved to wrap themselves with
luxury and fine jewelry.
References and
further reading for enjoyment:
Schiff, Stacy.
Cleopatra: A Life. A must read if you enjoy reading scholarly
research and fine writing.
Dray, Stephenie.
Lily of the Nile, Song of the Nile. An inspiring,
well-imagined life of Cleopatra's daughter after Cleopatra's death.
Stachniak, Eva.
Winter Palace. The novel vividly describes the rise of the
sickly, overshadowed Sophie to Catherine the Great, told from her
only friend Barbara, a spy, in the palace.
Kay, Susan. Legacy.
Compelling novel of Elizabeth I and her relationship with the three
men.
A concubine at the palace learns quickly that there are many ways to capture the Emperor’s attention. Many paint their faces white and style their hair attractively, hoping to lure in the One Above All with their beauty. Some present him with fantastic gifts, such as jade pendants and scrolls of calligraphy, while others rely on their knowledge of seduction to draw his interest. But young Mei knows nothing of these womanly arts, yet she will give the Emperor a gift he can never forget.
Mei’s intelligence and curiosity, the same traits that make her an outcast among the other concubines, impress the Emperor. But just as she is in a position to seduce the most powerful man in China, divided loyalties split the palace in two, culminating in a perilous battle that Mei can only hope to survive.
In the breakthrough first volume in the Empress of Bright Moon duology, Weina Dai Randel paints a vibrant portrait of ancient China―where love, ambition, and loyalty can spell life or death―and the woman who came to rule it all.
At the moment of the Emperor’s death, everything changes in the palace. Mei, his former concubine, is free, and Pheasant, the heir and Mei’s lover, is proclaimed as the new Emperor, heralding a new era in China. But just when Mei believes she’s closer to her dream, Pheasant’s chief wife, Lady Wang, powerful and unpredictable, turns against Mei and takes unthinkable measures to stop her. The power struggle that ensues will determine Mei’s fate–and that of China.
Surrounded by enemies within the palace that she calls home, Mei continues her journey to the throne in The Empress of Bright Moon, the second book in Weina Dai Randel’s acclaimed duology. Only by fighting back against those who wish her harm will Mei be able to realize her destiny as the most powerful woman in China.
(From her website)
Weina Dai Randel is the author of The Moon in the Palace and The Empress of Bright Moon, historical novels of Empress Wu, the first and only female ruler in China.
She was born and raised in China. English is her second language. She came to the U.S. at the age of twenty-four. She has worked as a journalist, a magazine editor, and an adjunct professor.
Her interest in classical Chinese literature was sparked at an early age when she first read The Dream of the Red Mansion, at night with a flashlight, as her parents deemed it inappropriate. She has a passion to share with American readers tales of dynasties that have risen and fallen, and stories of memorable historical figures, especially women.
Weina received an M.A. in English from Texas Woman’s University in Denton, Texas, where she was inspired to write about Empress Wu of China.
Look for reviews for The Moon in the Palace and The Empress of Bright Moon on this blog during summer months
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