The East Asian Ghost Story

4 credits · Undergraduate

“Words have no power to impress the mind without the exquisite horror of their reality,” wrote Edgar Allan Poe. But we know that words can never hurt us because ghosts do not exist, don’t we? Don’t we??? This course will approach the narrative form of the “strange tale” or chuánqí from its origins in 14 th century China through its adaptations in medieval Korea and Japan before exploring how it merges with folktales from across East Asia to produce the modern, vernacular genre of horror we recognize in literature and film today. Perhaps not all the stories we encounter will frighten, but all are sure to fascinate. Readings will be provided digitally on our bCourses site aside from those texts required for individual purchase.