Contents -- Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- ENGENDERING THE LOYAL MINISTER -- From True Man to Castrato -- From Faithful Wife to Whore -- The Case of Xu Wei -- Manhood and Nationhood -- HEROES AND OTHER COMPETING MODELS -- From Yingxiong to Haohan -- Reconstructing Haohan in Three Novels from the Sui- Tang Romance Cycle -- Effeminacy, Femininity, and Male- Male Passions -- Romantic Heroes in Yesou puyan and Sanfen meng quanzhuan -- WHAT A MAN OUGHT TO BE -- Ideals and Fears in Prescriptive Literature -- Masculinity and Modernity -- Notes -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Index -- About the Author.