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Readings

Required Texts

Shi, Nai'an, and Guanzhong Luo. Outlaws of the Marsh: An Abridged Version. Translated by Sidney Shapiro. Quarry Bay, Hong Kong: Commercial Press, 1986. ISBN: 9620710673.

Wu, Ch'eng-en. Monkey. Translated by Arthur Waley. New York, NY: Grove Press, 1984. ISBN: 0394172116.

Cao, Xueqin. Story of the Stone. Vol. 1. Translated by David Hawkes. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1979-1987. ISBN: 0253192668.

Wang, Shifu. The Story of the Western Wing. Edited and translated by Stephen H. West and Wilt L. Idema. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press, 1991. ISBN: 0520068076.

Recommended Texts

Owen, Stephen, ed. An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911. New York, NY: W.W. Norton, 1996. ISBN: 0393038238.

Cao, Xueqin. Story of the Stone. Vols. 1-3, translated by David Hawkes. Vols. 4-5, translated by John Minford. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1979-1987. ISBN: 0253192668.

Luo, Guanzhong. Three Kingdoms. Translated by Moss Roberts. New York, NY: Pantheon Books, 1976. ISBN: 0394407229.

Mair, Victor H., ed. The Shorter Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature. New York, NY: Columbia University Press, 2000. ISBN: 0231119984.

Wu, Ch'eng-en. The Journey to the West. Volume 1. Translated and edited by Anthony C. Yu. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1980 [1977]. ISBN: 0226971503.

Suggested Texts

The Plum in the Golden Vase. Translated by David Tod Roy. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1993. ISBN: 0691069328 (vol. 1), 0691070776 (vol. 2), and 0691125341 (vol. 3).

Shen, Fu. Six Records of a Floating Life. Translated by Leonard Pratt and Chiang Su-hui. New York, NY: Penguin Books, 1983. ISBN: 0140444297.

Tang, Xianzu. The Peony Pavilion. 2nd ed. Translated by Cyril Birch. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2002. ISBN: 0253215277.

Films

Outlaws of the Marsh. Directed by Cheh Chang, Hsueh Li Pao, and Ma Wu, 1972.

Monkey Goes West. Directed by Meng Hua Ho, 1966.

Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora's Box. Directed by Jeffrey Lau, 1994.

Dream of the Red Chamber. Directed by Yuan Chiu-feng, 1961.

Readings by Session

SES # ACTIVITIES READINGS
Introduction
1

Introduction

Film Clip: Hero

 (no readings)
2 Lecture: Introduction to Chinese Culture (no readings)
Poetry and Classic Stories
3 Lecture (no readings)
4 Discussion

Li, Kung-tso. "An Account of the Governor of the Southern Branch." Chapter 208 in The Shorter Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature.

Selections from An Anthology of Chinese Literature

The Classic of Poetry:
"Airs", ("Fishhawk", "The Han so wide"). pp. 30-32.

Ballad of Mulan. pp. 241-243.

Tao, Qian. "An Account of Peach Blossom Spring." pp. 309-310. Selected Poetry of Tao Qian. pp. 311-316.

The Tang Dynasty:
Introductions. pp. 365-384.
Xuan-zong and Yang the Prized Consort. p. 441.
Bo, Ju-yi. "Song of Lasting Pain." pp. 442-447.
Chen, Hong. "An Account to go with the 'Song of Lasting Pain.'" pp. 448-452.

"Ying-ying's Story." pp. 540-549.

Recommended Readings also in An Anthology of Chinese Literature

High Tang Poetry:
Wang, Wei. pp. 385-388.
Li, Bo. pp. 397-404.
Du, Fu. pp. 413-414. Note: Skip "Mei-pi Lake Song." Read "Giving Account of Oneself" (pp. 416-420), Poetry of Rebellion (pp. 420-421), and Kui-zhon and Du Fu’s Final Years (pp. 431-438).
Yu, Xuan-ji. pp. 509-510.
Introduction to Drama: The Story of the Western Wing
5 Library Workshop Begin reading The Story of the Western Wing.
6 Lecture (no readings)
7 Discussion and Dramatic Exercise

The Story of the Western Wing.

For discussion focus on pp. 191-245 and 277-286.
Introduction to the Novel: Three Kingdoms
8 Lecture (no readings)
9 Discussion Selections from Three Kingdoms.
Outlaws of the Marsh
10 Lecture (no readings)
11 Discussion Outlaws of the Marsh, chapters 1-3, 6, 9-13, 15, 18, 82, and 100.
12 Discussion: Film Adaptations of Outlaws of the Marsh Chang, Cheh, Hsueh Li Pao, and Ma Wu, dr. Outlaws of the Marsh: The True Color of Heroes, 1972.
The Journey to the West
13 Lecture Start reading Monkey.
14 Discussion

Continue reading Monkey. If you are pressed for time skip chapters 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 23, and 27.

"Kingdom of Women" episode. Chapters 54-55 in The Journey to the West. Volume 3. Translated and edited by Anthony C. Yu.  Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1984. ISBN: 0226971538.
15

Discussion: Film Adaptations of the Monkey Story

Film: Monkey Goes West

 (no readings)
The Story of the Stone/The Dream of the Red Chamber
16

Lecture

Discussion: Final Project Ideas

Begin reading The Story of the Stone.

Read these pages:

  • Vol. 1: 1-4, 5, 6, 8, 11-13, 15, 17, [22], 23, 25
  • Vol. 2: 37, 38, 39, 41
  • Vol. 3: 73, 74
  • Vol. 4: 94, 95, 96, 97, 98
  • Vol. 5: 116, 119, [120]
17 Field Trip Field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston, MA).
18 Discussion The Story of the Stone, chapters 1-5, 11-13, and 15.
19 Discussion The Story of the Stone, chapters 17, 22, 23, 37, 38, 94, 98, 116, 119, 120.
20 Field Trip Field trip to the Chinese House at the Peabody Essex Museum (Salem, MA).
21

Discussion

Film: Dream of the Red Chamber

Discuss field trip and finish discussing The Story of the Stone.
Conclusion
22-24 Student Presentations (no readings)
25 Submit Final Project (no readings)
26 Class Party (no readings)

 

Recommended Readings: Vernacular Stories

"Du Tenth Sinks the Jewel Box." In An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911. Edited and translated by Stephen Owen. New York, NY: W.W. Norton, 1996, pp. 834-856. ISBN: 0393038238.

"The Pearl Shirt Reencountered." In Traditional Chinese Stories: Themes and Variations. Edited by Y.W. Ma and Joseph S.M. Lau. Boston, MA: Cheng & Tsui, 1986, pp. 264-292. ISBN: 0887270719.

"Artisan Ts'ui and his Ghost Wife." In Traditional Chinese Stories: Themes and Variations. Edited by Y.W. Ma and Joseph S.M. Lau. Boston: Cheng & Tsui, 1986, pp. 252-263. ISBN: 0887270719.

Stories of Li Yu

Li, Yu. "An Ugly Husband Fears a Pretty Wife." In Silent Operas. Edited by Patrick Hanan. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1990. ISBN: 9627255076.

———. "The Female Chen Ping Saves Her Life . . ." In Silent Operas. Edited by Patrick Hanan. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1990. ISBN: 9627255076.

———. "A Male Mencius's Mother Raises her Son Properly." In Silent Operas. Edited by Patrick Hanan. Hong Kong: Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1990. ISBN: 9627255076.

Stories of Pu Songling

Pu, Songling. "The Painted Wall," "A Fox Dream," and "Miss Yan." In Historian of the Strange: Pu Songling and the Chinese Classical Tale. Translated by Judith Zeitlin. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1993. ISBN: 0804720851.

———. "The Lady Knight-Errant." In Traditional Chinese Stories: Themes and Variations. Edited by Y.W. Ma and Joseph S.M. Lau. Boston, MA: Cheng & Tsui, 1986, pp. 77-81. ISBN: 0887270719.