The Chinese literary tradition stretches back three millennia and contains more treasures than we could cover in ten semesters. We’ll be pacing ourselves: our goals in this course are to survey the landscape of Chinese literature up to the start of the 19th century and familiarize ourselves with some of the major landmarks. No knowledge of Chinese is assumed or required, though original texts will be delightedly provided for anyone interested.
- Teacher: Brendan O'Kane
The late Ming and early Qing dynasties were an age of massive social change and cultural innovation. In literature from this period, we can see authors and readers questioning traditional authorities, celebrating emotion and subjectivity, ricocheting between sensuality and propriety – and attempting to make sense of the strange new world in which they found themselves. Through careful readings of translated short stories, selections from novels and dramas, prose vignettes, and present-day secondary scholarship, we will form a detailed, vivid picture of the hopes, fears, and anxieties that animated this era.
- Teacher: Brendan O'Kane