Chaste and filial women in Chinese historical writings of the Eleventh Century

In the eleventh century, Chinese historians made significant advances in th eir craft. They also promoted certain moral views that differed from those of their predecessors. In particular, they seem to have adopted a distincti ve perspective on women. This is most apparent when one compares the accoun ts of "Notable Women" included in the Xin Tang shu with those written for a similar chapter of the Jiu Tang shu a century previously. The present pape r takes some of these accounts as a point of departure for an examination o f this issue, its background, and related matters, giving special focus to the work of Ouyang Xiu.