Texts will include Murasaki Shikibu's Tale of Genji , Ihara Saikaku's The Great Mirror of Male Love , Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber and Kim Man-jung's A Nine Cloud Dream . All readings are in English translation. Texts will include shaman's hymns, popo songs, drinking songs, ballads, philosophical ditties, praise and nature poetry and opera liberettos. We will investigate the intellectual milieu in which poetry circulated, considering such issues as the relation between poetry and autobiography, the interest of elites in collecting popular song and the development of feminine voices both simulated and genuine. No knowledge of Chinese language or literature is requred.
All readings are in English translation.
Modern Chinese Literature Twentieth-century China has undergone profound social, cultural and political changes that have challenged centuries of Confucian tradition and insitutions. In this course we will explore issues such as critique of this tradition, the influence of Western values, the construction of gender and the relationships between the educated elite and the peasantry. All readings are in English translation. A survery of Chinese literature from its beginnings to the end of the T'ang dynasty. The values of Chinese literary civilization, the role of Confucian classics, developments in lyric prose genres and literary criticism will be examined through a study of representative works.