Introduction to Premodern Chinese Literature
CEAS 221
Spring 2020 not offered
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This course is an introduction to premodern Chinese literature that focuses on the role Chinese literary texts have played in defining selfhood, creating self-image, and articulating the place of the individual in relation to community and state. The arrangement of the course is primarily chronological, from the first millennium BC to the end of the Qing Dynasty in 1911, though texts that cut across history are also juxtaposed to show differences and continuities from a larger perspective. The course contains canonical pieces of the Chinese literary tradition that address similar issues or respond to each other. Besides literary texts, painting, music, and material culture are also incorporated to help students visualize the tradition. Students are encouraged to think about the close relationship between Chinese literati's creation of self-image and political trauma they experienced during dynastic changes. |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA CEAS |
| 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) |
Major Readings:
Wang Shifu, THE STORY OF THE WEST WING
Tang Xianzu, THE PEONY PAVILION
Kong Shangren, PEACH BLOSSOM FAN
Cao Xueqin, THE STORY OF THE STONE
David Hawkes, THE SONGS OF THE SOUTH
Stephen Owen, AN ANTHOLOGY OF CHINESE LITERATURE: BEGINNINGS TO 1911, THE POETRY OF THE EARLY T'ANG, THE GREAT AGE OF CHINESE POETRY: THE HIGH T'ANG, THE END OF THE CHINESE "MIDDLE AGES": ESSAYS IN MID-TANG LITERARY CULTURE, REMEMBRANCES: THE EXPERIENCE OF THE PAST IN CLASSICAL CHINESE LITERATURE
Ron Egan, THE PROBLEM OF BEAUTY: AESTHETIC THOUGHT AND PURSUITS IN NORTHERN SONG DYNASTY CHINA
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Examinations and Assignments:
1) Class Participation (15%): attend lectures 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%): For each of the papers, students will explore some author, work, or topic of interest. The first paper should be 5-6 pages, and the second should be between 10-12 pages.
4) Final exam (30%): the exam will consist of identifications of passages and a choice of essay topics. |
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