Why is polygamy poisonous? : an historical context

The Poison of Polygamy now ranks as the first novel of Chinese Australia, leap frogging by more than half a century all previous contenders. But this serialised novel, which first appeared in Melbourne's Chinese Times in 1909, is much more than the novelty of its ranking. It is a remarkable imaginative glimpse into the world of the Chinese diaspora, of the historical Chinese-Australian experience, of late-Qing revolutionary beliefs, of Chinese literary culture, and perhaps most rarely, of the role and feelings of the women of the diaspora.