Peony is ecstatic to finally see a performance of her favorite opera. The only blight on her happiness is her aforesaid impending marriage. Despite being betrothed since birth, she's never met her fiancé, so she can only imagine him as an old and ugly man. She keeps herself from complaining or worrying, though, for her highly traditionalist mother might keep Peony from attending if she doesn't adhere to their societies strict ideas on how young girls should act. So, Peony keeps her tongue leashed and does her best to act like the perfect daughter.
Thoughts of propriety fly out the window on the first night when she catches the eye of a handsome young man. In opposition to everything they've been taught, Peony and the young man meet in a secluded area while everyone else is distracted by the opera. For the first time, someone other than her father asks Peony for her opinions on the opera and Peony readily offers them. Though their time together throughout the next three days is short, they quickly fall in love and the experience leaves Peony with a set of happy memories that she hopes will get her through her marriage.
Soon after her birthday passes, Peony takes copies of The Peony Pavilion her father had given her and begins writing her thoughts and feelings about the play in its margins. Before she knows it, Peony becomes another lovesick maiden, a young girl so obsessed with the opera and its ideas about love that she forgets to eat. By the time tragedy strikes, Peony herself will be the last one to realize what has happened and what she has lost. And yet, her desire to write about the much beloved and controversial play lives on...
Peony in Love is a 2007 historical novel by Lisa See. It explores the effect of qing and poetry in Chinese society during the reign of the Manchus while also vividly depicting the realm of the Chinese underworld and, ultimately, the many love can take.
This novel provides examples of:
- Age-Gap Romance: When Wu Ren and Quin Yi marry, he's in his forties and she's in her teens. During this time period this wasn't that strange and their personalities wind up complimenting each other very well.
- Arranged Marriage: A prospective husband for Peony was arranged soon after Peony was born. Peony assumes that her betrothed is an ugly old man, so when her father points out her betrothed in the audience she doesn't look. If she had, she would've found out it was Wu Ren, the poet she met while everyone else was watching the opera.
- Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Once Peony's ancestral tablet finally gets dotted, she's able to move on to the next stage of the afterlife.
- Bittersweet Ending: Penny's ancestral tablet is finally dotted, meaning she doesn't have to be a hungry ghost anymore. Of course, this means she'll have to leave her beloved Wu Ren behind, but she managed to find a him a wife who'll take care of him until his own death. Peony is also certain that she'll reunite with him in the afterlife.
- Bookworm: Peony's father loves to read, a trait he passed on to his only child, Peony. As for Peony, she's a huge fan of The Peony Pavilion and has been collecting different editions of the opera whenever possible. Her fiance, Wu Ren is a sensitive poet who is one of the first people outside of Peony's father to ask her for her opinions on the opera.
- Character Tics: Peony's mother is often seen fiddling with her set of house keys, especially when she's nervous or agitated.
- Daddy's Girl: Peony has a strong bond with her father and is hurt when she discovers he doesn't value her as much as she thought due to her sex.
- Death by Childbirth: Tan Ze dies while trying to give birth to her and Wu Ren's firstborn. Because of this she's sent to the Blood-Gathering Lake in the afterlife, which is a special hell for women who die from childbirth.
- Deliberate Values Dissonance: The grotesque manner of footbinding is touted as something positive and helpful, as it allows women to make respectable marriages and is seen as a sign of defiance against the Manchus. This accurately replicates the attitude of most during China at the time, as does the belief that a woman's only duty is to bear sons and serve her husband's family.
- Despair Event Horizon: Peony almost goes into a spiral of despair after her mother burns all of her books, including her beloved copy of The Peony Pavilion. Luckily, finding out that the book with all of her commentary survived prevented a full on Heroic BSoD.
- The Dutiful Son: After Peony dies and her grandmother lifts the fertility curse on the family, Bao- the intelligent and responsible young man her father adopted- produces heirs and takes good care of the family's lands, tenants, and surviving members.
- Gentleman and a Scholar: Wu Ren is a poet who appreciates qing and takes an interest in discecting and discussing various texts. He's also kind and gracious.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Peony completely loses it during Tan Ze and Wu Ren's wedding night. She only calms down when she realizes that Tan Ze's coldness makes her beloved Wu Ren miserable. She then decides to put all her energy into making Wu Ren's marriage successful at the cost of Tan Ze's autonomy.
- Happily Married: Thanks to Peony, Wu Ren finds marital bliss with Quin Yi.
- Henpecked Husband: Ten Ze complains constantly about the lack of luxury in Wu Ren's house, the conduct of the servants, and the quality of the food. She insults her husband's poetry too and loudly demands money to buy expensive goods for herself. At one point, she even begs her parents to buy her back from Wu Ren, but even they are disgusted with her bratty and embarrassing behavior. They give Tan Ze's mother-in-law compensation instead, and Wu Ren has to turn to prostitutes for comfort before Peony intervenes.
- Intelligence Equals Isolation: Peony is the most intellectually gifted and emotionally aware girl in her family's home, and she's often on the receiving end of her cousin's disparaging remarks.
- Jerkass: Peony's grandfather used his own wife as a shield in order to ensure his and his son's survival.
- Love at First Sight: Peony and Wu Ren fell in love with one another upon their first meeting.
- Most Writers Are Writers: The main character, Peony, is a poet/critic and so is her Love Interest.
- People Puppets: As a ghost, Peony possess Tan Ze to make her a better wife and lover for Wu Ren.
- Poor Communication Kills: A misunderstanding between Peony's parents means that Peony's ancestor tablet goes undotted, which turns her into a hungry ghost.
- Replacement Goldfish: After Peony dies, her young cousin, Tan Ze, is sent to marry Wu Ren instead.
- Smitten Teenage Girl: Peony quickly becomes smitten with Wu Ren when she first sees him. Her crush on him ends up taking over her thoughts and actions.
- Spirited Young Lady: Sixteen-year-old Peony is the only daughter of a well-off family living in 17th century China. She does whatever she can to act like a proper maiden is expected to, mostly to please her highly traditionalist mother. Her father, however, has encouraged a love of the written word in her; he does this by buying her copies of her favorite opera, The Peony Pavilion, and discussing its content with her.
- Spoiled Brat: Tan Ze pestered her father into marrying her off to Wu Ren, not because she genuinely loved him instead of her original betrothed, but because Tan Ze saw Wu Ren before Peony and- with Peony dead- Tan Ze can now have him to herself.
- Succession Crisis: The women in Peony's wealthy family, concubines included, are unable to produce sons and heirs. However, there's a reason for it: Peony's dead grandmother cursed her son's family with barrenness as revenge, because he and her husband forced her to die in their place while the Manchu soldiers were hunting them down. She later lifts the curse at Peony's request.
- Thinks Like a Romance Novel: Peony gets most of her knowledge of love and sex from The Peony Pavilion, a romantic opera.
- Unresolved Sexual Tension: Peony and Wu Ren never physically consummate their relationship.
- Unusual Euphemism: Sexual intercourse is constantly referred to as "clouds and rain." Oral sex is referred to as "playing the flute" at one point.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Tan Ze calls out Peony after the latter controls the former's body, forcing her to continue her commentary on The Peony Pavilion.
