劉向名下的《列女傳》乃六藝附庸，從學術統緒上說，可視為《春秋》學支裔或《詩》學外傳。有關其內在觀念，另文處理，本文僅從文獻學的角度出發研治《列女傳》 。課題包括此書的編撰者、材料的來源、對既有材料的編撰方式、編撰年代、編撰目的及預設的讀者、在六朝同類型作品中的地位、釋題、原編與北宋重編本的差異、早期附益者的考定。

This article gives some bibliographical notes on the Biographies of Exemplary Women. It aims to include the following topics: Who edited this book? What were its sources of materials and how these materials were arranged? At what time and for what purpose was this book edited? What kind of readers did the editor or editors assume? How to evaluate its status among works of the same genre in Six Dynasties? How to define exactly the term "lienu"? What's the difference between the original Han version of the book and the reedited version of the Northern Song? How to investigate the editor of its attached part?