Middlebury

FYSE 1472

Fate, Filial Piety, & Passion

Fate, Filial Piety, and Passion in Chinese Civilization
In this course, for which no prior study of China is needed, we will look at the place of the ideas of “ming” (fate), “xiao” (filial piety) and “qing”(passion) in Chinese culture as they are expressed in literature and film. We will study fortune telling, including divination using the 1000 BCE “Book of Changes,” read traditional and modern versions of the story of the filial woman warrior Mulan, and discuss the grand, death-defying passion in the Ming dynasty opera “The Peony Pavilion.” Our contemporary texts will include the film “Farewell My Concubine,” the novel “To Live,” and the documentary film “Our Time Machine,” about a son’s love for his aging father. Written work will be both critical and creative. 3 hrs. sem.
Subject:
First Year Seminar
Department:
First-Year Seminar Program
Division:
Interdisciplinary
Requirements Fulfilled:
CW LIT NOA

Sections

Fall 2024

FYSE1472A-F24 Seminar (Moran)

Fall 2018

FYSE1472A-F18 Seminar (Moran)

Spring 2016

FYSE1472A-S16 Seminar (Moran)