所謂「閨秀」（或稱「閨怨」），原為長久以來中國古典文學中書寫風格的一種類別，自唐詩宋詞以降，向為雅正文學傳統的一部分。本文所論之「閨秀」文學，將其範圍再縮小一些，以清心玉映之「閨房之秀」（《世說、賢媛》）所作為主體。這些出自女子之手（如李清照、朱淑貞、梁意娘、花蕊夫人等），以深厚文學素養為基礎，表現怨而不悱、哀而不傷、含蓄淵雅傳統的詩文，在精神與風格上成為民初以來女作家白話散文的源頭，而以冰心、張秀亞、胡品清、琦君、艾雯、張曉風、林文月、陳幸蕙、張曼娟為其翹楚典型。它們的同質性，主要表現於出身一致（中文或外文、歷史系所）、重信仰情操（宗教或家國執著、軍人子女背景）、正面主題（多傾向光明面）與文字技巧窮極工緻（多獲中山文藝獎或其他勵志型獎章），及幾乎全數以教師為業。而其侷限性，亦如十八至二十世紀之英法Lady novelists（閨閣體女作家）一樣，一是居家隔離（domestic isolation），從書房到廚房，丈夫到子女的題材困境；二是社會經驗狹隘（narrow social experiences），註定某些男性場域為主或賢媛所無法觸及的低下人生角度與心理邏輯缺席；三是道德侷限（moral restraints），無法誠實深刻處理情慾主題。這三個侷限性，表現於散文這種不擅隱藏自我的文類時尤其明顯。作為一種社會文本（sociotextual），早期「閨秀散文」本質上的height（高度）使它擁有文學的廟堂性，同時失去了社會普遍性的可能，文學的通俗性，往往象徵著非主流的邊緣性與次級化。雅正文學與俗文學界限與迷思，可從張秀亞、琦君絕對名列經典而張曼娟、吳淡如往往處在尷尬定位明顯看出。此外，「令人吃驚的理想性與純潔性」使它在深度上有所欠缺，在女性意識（feminine consciousness）上少有發揮，亦是值得討論的問題。時代遞嬗，九十年代文壇隨著閱讀客體轉化，消費性格丕變，出版與傳播策略改以多角化、全方位出擊，在作家明星化，作品商品化的潮流中，新一代「閨秀散文」的年輕女作家仍出自學院深牆，卻能卸下傳統「思無邪」的包袱大步前行，散文出位、雅俗相混，在滾滾紅塵，紛擾人世中，或練達老成，或婉媚夷然，擺脫春閨夢裡的哀怨，跨越性別之爭的意氣，展現出既古典又現代，既老辣又新鮮的千姿百態。其中值得注意者，大致可分為數類：（一）簡媜：拓廣題材與深度，文字與思想跳脫，充滿人世歷練的華豔與婉轉（二）劉叔慧：傳統美文，抒情路線，都會成熟女子自戀風格（三）鍾怡雯：沉重詭譎，魔幻寫實，講究文字密度與力道，結構與技巧並重（四）張惠菁：輕倩流麗，村上春樹句構，顛覆傳統，自省而不羈的網路新世代（五）張瀛太、郝譽翔：游走於文類試驗之中，建構歷史，探測內心，將散文加上小說虛構特質（六）吳淡如：作家媒體化的典型、大眾取向，以微量文學包裝薇薇夫人式的愛情指引與生活哲學。

“Lady’s literature” has been evolved as a formal literature since the Tang Dynasty, which has its own distinct characteristic among the traditional Chinese literature world. This paper disscurees a number of selected works by female writers of our modern time including Bin Shin, Chang Shiou-Ya, Hu Pin-Chiang, Chi Jean, Ay Wen, Chang Shiou-Fan, Lin Wen-Yeh, Chen Shuin-Hui, and Chang Mang-Jeng. The resemblance clearly revealed in those articles consists of the following traits: (1) the authors experiencing the similar education, economic-social status and cultural background; (2) a strong emphasis on philosophical thought and morale aspects; (3) a positive theme facing human life; and (4) being resulted from dedicated and graceful writing maneuvers. In contrast, the essences of these articles are also confined by a few traits such as domestic isolation, narrow social experience, and moral restraints. The boundaries laid in such a text become quite obvious in particular as the articles being presented in form of prose. Since the lady's literature possesses sociotextual function, the purpose of prose was oriented with high touch of literal expression, while gaining less popularity in the society. Furthermore, the drawback of lady's literature showed that it either intentionally or subconsciously turued away from the broader scope of human relationship such as dealing with the inner voice of the lower class, common rituals in the male-dominating world, encouraging the development of feminine consciousness, and the controversial issue on selfishness, passion, and sexual desire. Since the 1990s, the features of literatures have naturally evolved to serve the prerequisite vogue of general public, and the theme of lady's work would be unavoidably tuned by approaching the market-oriented goals. The prose by modern female writers poses substantial difference that of their predecessors.Writes such as Jian, Jan, Tsoung, I-wen, Liu Sui-Hui, Chang Hui-Chiang, Chang Ing-Tai, Hou Yu-Shiang, and Wu Dan-Zu, the female writers of new era, their prose does not only dissolves the traditional predominance, but also try hard to de-compose the traditional Chinese mentality.