CHNS 6640
Modern Chinese Cult &the Novel
Modern Chinese Novel and Culture
Chinese culture is often most clearly revealed in novels. We will read portions of the most representative novels of Cao Xueqin, Wu Jingzi, Ba Jin, Bai Xianyong, and Wang Anyi as we trace the transition of cultural values from traditional Confucian lyricism to contemporary socialist realism. The vehicle of the novel also provides an effective entry into many aspects of contemporary society, such as class, gender, family dynamics, education, poverty, and power. We will focus on the transitional periods of late imperial and modern China as the Qing dynasty gave way to the Republic, and as the Republic yielded to the People's Republic when Chinese on both sides of the straits had to adjust to new political, social, and cultural realities. In terms of literary criticism, we will discuss such aspects as genre, intertextuality, symbolism, narrative structure, characterization, lyricism, and realism. Students will encounter new types of language in the novel, both the highly refined discourse of the literati and the wealthy as well as the slang expressions of the uneducated and the poor, and of course will learn to appreciate and criticize literature in Chinese. Course requirements include two short papers, one long paper, reading reports, and individual and group presentations.
David Hawkes, trans. Cao Xueqin. The Story of the Stone, also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber, vol. 1: The Golden Days. Penguin Books, 1974. ISBN 0140442936, paperback.
Gladys Yang, Hsieh-yi Yang, trans. The Scholars, .Foreign Language Press,. ISBN 9780835124072, paperback.
Pa Chin, Family. Cheng & Tsui, 1979. ISBN 091705640X, paperback.
Michael Berry and Susan Chan Egan, trans. The Song of Everlasting Sorrow. Columbia University Press, 2008. ISBN ISBN-10: 0231143427, hardcover.
A course packet will also be provided.
Chinese culture is often most clearly revealed in novels. We will read portions of the most representative novels of Cao Xueqin, Wu Jingzi, Ba Jin, Bai Xianyong, and Wang Anyi as we trace the transition of cultural values from traditional Confucian lyricism to contemporary socialist realism. The vehicle of the novel also provides an effective entry into many aspects of contemporary society, such as class, gender, family dynamics, education, poverty, and power. We will focus on the transitional periods of late imperial and modern China as the Qing dynasty gave way to the Republic, and as the Republic yielded to the People's Republic when Chinese on both sides of the straits had to adjust to new political, social, and cultural realities. In terms of literary criticism, we will discuss such aspects as genre, intertextuality, symbolism, narrative structure, characterization, lyricism, and realism. Students will encounter new types of language in the novel, both the highly refined discourse of the literati and the wealthy as well as the slang expressions of the uneducated and the poor, and of course will learn to appreciate and criticize literature in Chinese. Course requirements include two short papers, one long paper, reading reports, and individual and group presentations.
David Hawkes, trans. Cao Xueqin. The Story of the Stone, also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber, vol. 1: The Golden Days. Penguin Books, 1974. ISBN 0140442936, paperback.
Gladys Yang, Hsieh-yi Yang, trans. The Scholars, .Foreign Language Press,. ISBN 9780835124072, paperback.
Pa Chin, Family. Cheng & Tsui, 1979. ISBN 091705640X, paperback.
Michael Berry and Susan Chan Egan, trans. The Song of Everlasting Sorrow. Columbia University Press, 2008. ISBN ISBN-10: 0231143427, hardcover.
A course packet will also be provided.