Modern Chinese Literature

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course encourages students to read and discuss English translations of key modern Chinese literary texts, selected from among those that have delighted western audiences (such as the Nobel Prize winners Gao Xingjian and Mo Yan) as well as those that have been considered of huge significance by Chinese communities at different times. Most of the readings will be short stories and (parts of) novels, but due attention will be paid also to poetry and the prose essay, both incredibly important genres in the Chinese context. Students will be provided with a key vocabulary to discuss the texts, including both western and Chinese critical terminology, and with a range of interpretative methods. They will also be expected to carry out background reading, including academic studies of the literary works under scrutiny, and general works introducing the relevant historical contexts. At the end of the semester, students will have gained a good knowledge of the modern Chinese literary canon and will have gained critical ability in analyzing modern Chinese literary works from a range of perspectives.