**6. Conclusions**

As the preceding analysis has shown, for those Joseon women concerned with virtue and drawn to the claims of Catholicism, the stories of female Catholic saints suggested compelling possibilities unavailable to the Confucian exemplars, such as celibacy and less restricted interaction with and representation alongside men. Furthermore, the female saints embodied a level of defiance toward the status quo not found in the "Obedient and Chaste" Confucian exemplar stories. The saints might be obedient to God, but to tyrants, to bodily su ffering, and to the devil, they thumbed their noses. Certainly, the real-world experiences of persecution on the part of Joseon converts would have corrected any unrealistic expectations fueled by such stories. They would have quickly discovered that persecution was horrible and traumatic, that heroism was di fficult, and that miraculous interventions were rare or nonexistent. Nevertheless, fantasies of standing bold and victorious in the face of oppression and pain could inspire and thus render the price of conversion less burdensome.

**Funding:** This research was funded by the University of Utah College of Humanities International Travel and Research grant, and the University of Utah Asia Center Travel and Research grant.

**Conflicts of Interest:** The author declares no conflict of interest.
