Desire, Theatricality, and the Self in Chinese Literature
CEAS 235
Fall 2018 not offered
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This course will introduce students to some of the most important themes in Chinese literature and culture, including desire and transgression, self-dramatization, dream and illusion, and magical transformation. We will focus on the long 17th century, from the mid-16th century to the end of the 17th century, one of the watersheds in Chinese culture and literary sensibility. The period witnessed the rise of radical subjectivity, a reassessment of authoritative traditions, indulgence in emotions and sensuous existence, and shifting boundaries between refinement and vulgarity. We will survey a wide range of writings from this period, discussing such issues as theatrical aesthetics, the creation of a world through desire and imagination, and a new sense of an "I" in 17th-century China. By focusing on this period, we can put Chinese literary tradition and this extraordinarily creative period into dialogue and understand continuities and radical changes, the formation of tradition and its transformation. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CEAS |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Graded |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (CEAS-MN) |
Major Readings:
Xu Wei, FOUR CRIES OF A GIBBON
Tang Xianzu, THE PEONY PAVILION
Feng Menglong, STORIES OLD AND NEW: A MING DYNASTY COLLECTION
Li Yu, SILENT OPERA
Dong Yue, THE TOWER OF MYRIAD MIRRORS
Hong Sheng, THE PALACE OF LASTING LIFE
Kong Shangren, PEACH BLOSSOM FAN
Yang Ye, VIGNETTES FROM THE LATE MING: A HSIAO-P'IN ANTHOLOGY
Timothy Brook, THE CONFUSION OF PLEASURE: COMMERCE AND CULTURE IN MING CHINA
Craig Clunas, FRUITFUL SITES: GARDEN CULTURE IN MING DYNASTY CHINA
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Examinations and Assignments:
1) Class Participation (15%): attend lectures and screenings regularly; give one oral presentation on a primary text or a painting in lectures;
2) Online postings (15%): post a weekly response (200 words) on the course website before each lecture;
3) Two writing assignments (40%): submit two short papers (each 3-5 pages) on given topics.
4) Final paper (30%): submit one paper (10-15 pages) on given topics. |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
Students with no previous background on China are welcome. We will have an afternoon-long "Chinese literature bootcamp" at the beginning of the semester to help students familiarize themselves with Chinese literary history. |
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