The Chinese Canon and Its Afterlife
ALIT 211
Fall 2010
| Section:
01
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| This course may be repeated for credit. |
| Crosslisting:
EAST 211 |
This course aims to achieve two goals. First, it will introduce students to essential authors, texts, and genres in premodern Chinese literature, with attention to questions such as, What counts as literature? What makes these works and writers canonical? How do genre, gender, and class affect the production, distribution, and consumption of these texts? Second, it will trace how later writers circulated, appropriated, and regenerated the classics via adaptations, imitations, parodies, pastiches, and sequels. Some cinematic or dramatic adaptations of the canon in the 20th century will also be included in discussions. In doing so we hope to complicate and destabilize the familiar dichotomy of canonical versus marginal, original versus derivative, elitist versus popular. |
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Essential Capabilities:
Intercultural Literacy, Interpretation
Students will read a variety of major works of pre-modern Chinese literature and think critically about literary relations, including notions such as authorship, originality, influence and intertextuality.
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA AL&L |
| Course Format: Lecture / Discussion | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CEAS-MN)(CEAS)(CEAS-Lit&Cult) |
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Past Enrollment Probability: Not Available |
| SECTION 01 |
Major Readings: Wesleyan RJ Julia Bookstore
Laozi and Zhuangzi
THE CLASSIC OF POETRY and THE SONGS OF THE SOUTH
THE FU
THE RECORDS OF THE GRAND HISTORIAN
Poetry, anecdotal fiction and literary theory of the Han, Wei and Six Dynasties
Tang poetry, classical prose and classical tales
Song poetry and classical prose
Yuan-Ming-Qing poetry, informal essay, fiction and drama
Textbooks:
A READER compiled by the instructor
Victor Mair, ed., THE COLUMBIA ANTHOLOGY OF TRADITIONAL CHINESE LITERATURE, Columbia University Press
Stephen Owen, ed., AN ANTHOLOGY OF CHINESE LITERATURE: BEGINNINGS TO 1911, Norton
Wang Shi-fu, THE STORY OF THE WESTERN WING, University of California Press
Wu Ch'eng-en (author), Hu Shih (introduction), Arthur Waley (translator), MONKEY: FOLK NOVEL OF CHINA,
Grove Press.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Oral presentations (5 min.), two short response papers (2 pp. each), midterm paper (4-6 pp.) and final paper (10 pp.) |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
All readings in translation; no knowledge of Chinese language required. This course may be repeated for credit up to two times for a letter grade and up to four times for credit towards graduation. |
| Instructor(s): Wang,Ao Times: ..T.R.. 02:40PM-04:00PM; Location: FISK314; |
| Total Enrollment Limit: 25 | | SR major: 5 | JR major: 5 | | |
| Seats Available: 14 | GRAD: X | SR non-major: 5 | JR non-major: 5 | SO: 3 | FR: 2 |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
| Total Submitted Requests: 0 | 1st Ranked: 0 | 2nd Ranked: 0 | 3rd Ranked: 0 | 4th Ranked: 0 | Unranked: 0 |
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