Entering Anthologies with Names: The First Generation of Courtesan Poets in Ming Dynasty Nanjing

This article traces the first generation of Ming courtesan poets and the earliest extant anthology recording both their poems and full names. These pioneering courtesan poets emerged from anonymity in the city of Nanjing during the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries. They represented a new mode of literary production and circulation in the context of social, economic, and cultural transformation which began in the mid-Ming. To better situate courtesan poets within the Ming world of letters, we examine the various sources recording their biographical information and literary/artistic creations.