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Boji of Duke Gong of Song, Conspectus
The biography of Boji contains two linked
narratives. The first details her marriage to Duke Gong of Song and contrasts
Boji's refined sense of ritual correctness with her parents' and husband's
failure to follow the proper ceremonial rules for marriage. Boji steadfastly
resists marriage until a diplomat commissioned by her parents comes to Song
to reason with her. In Boji's moral universe filial piety takes precedence
over ritual correctness; Boji therefore submits to the command of her parents
and proceeds with the marriage. The second narrative occurs ten years later,
when Boji refuses to leave a burning house unless she is accompanied (in accordance
with the Rites) by two chaperones. Before the second chaperone arrives, Boji
burns to death in the fire. The biography demonstrates how one woman juggled
the competing directives of parental and ritual authority, obeying one first
and the other later. The horrifying description of her death elicited the
attention of many commentators whose views of her behavior range from ridicule
to praise.
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Published
by The Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities, © Copyright 2003
by Anne Kinney and the University of Virginia