The Death of Woman Wang is intended as a microhistory, using the history of a specific time and place to convey broader insights about rural China in the 17th century. Do you think it succeeds in that goal? Or do you think a more traditional, broader history would have been more successful?

Jonathan Spence’s history bases itself on “four small crises” (xi). Which of the crises do you think reveals the most about life in 17th-century rural China and why?

Describe what you think the overall thesis of The Death of Woman Wang is. How does this thesis fit with Jonathan Spence’s decision to write The Death of Woman Wang as a microhistory?