Calendar

Below is a calendar for the course showing the topics covered in each week and session. Key dates: annotated bibliographies are due in Week #9, final project presentations begin in Week #13, and final projects (including the project abstract, project, and 10 page revised annotated bibliography) should be submitted in Week #14.

WEEK	CLASS TOPICS
1: Introduction	Introduction
2: Classic Poetry	Introduction to traditional Chinese culture Begin discussion of poetry unit In-class assignment: Poetry Storyboards
3: Poetry and Classic Stories	Lecture Discussion and presentation of in-class group work on poems
4: Introduction to Drama: The Story of the Western Wing	Lecture Library workshop
5: Drama (cont.)	Discussion and dramatic exercise Acting exercises
6: Introduction to the Novel: Three Kingdoms	Holiday Lecture
7: Introduction to the Novel: Three Kingdoms (cont.)	Discussion Field trip to visit the Chinese house at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, MA.
8: Novel (cont.): Outlaws of the Marsh	Lecture and discussion of project proposals and annotated bibliographies Discussion
9: Monkey/Journey to the West	Lecture Annotated bibliography due Discuss Final Project ideas
10: Monkey/Journey to the West (cont)	Discussion Lecture
11: Dream of the Red Chamber	Discussion of chapters 1–5 Discussion of chapters 6, 8, 11–13, 15, 17, 23, 25, 37, 38
12: Dream of the Red Chamber (cont.)	Discussion of chapters 94, 98, 116, 119, 120
13: Begin presentations	Field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston to the “Beyond the Screen” Exhibit and Chinese galleries Handout for the Museum of Fine Arts trip
13: Begin presentations	Student presentations of final projects
14: Presentations (cont.)	Student presentations of final projects (cont.) Final projects due
15: Final day of class	Party

Looking Assignment
(for the field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston)

Beyond the Screen Exhibit

Pick 1 object from each of the following categories. Describe the object (date, place, materials, how it was made, size). Then write a brief description fitting the object into your knowledge of the Chinese scholar’s taste and lifestyle. One paragraph each:

Find an object that reflects the male identity.
Find an object used by a woman. How does it reflect feminine taste?
Find an object that tells you a lot about the scholar’s “way of life.” Pretend you are a detective or archeologist, tell us what you can reconstruct about the culture from the object.

Find an object which appeals to your taste. Why?

Find two objects from the wider Chinese collection at the MFA that appeal to you. Describe the objects and their significance, and why you chose them.

Things to think about when you view furniture at the “Beyond the Screen” exhibit:

Are these items necessities or luxuries?
To what extent are they decorative? To what extent functional?
How are function and form balanced?
Who used these pieces (men, women, children, adults, commoners, gentry, the imperial household?)
How were they used?
How was the furniture arranged within each “room”?
How were the pieces made?
How did Ming construction techniques affect the form?
How is “craft” important? Did the craftsman leave a mark?
What are the materials?
How are materials important?
How were the pieces acquired?
Think about cost?
How was furniture moved from place to place?
What can you tell about the lifestyle of the literati from the furniture? (activities, frequency of moves, etc.)

Poetry Exercise

Poetry is often difficult to interpret because the language is figurative and imagistic. One way to approach a poem is through visualization. This often works particularly well for Chinese poems due to the link between poetry and painting.

For this exercise, I would like you to visualize a set of Chinese poems by creating a “storyboard” for the poem. A storyboard is a set of drawings used in filmmaking that maps out how the story will be told. Imagine that you are making a film or short video of the poem and map out a series of images that will tell the story underlying the poet’s vision. You do not need to know how to draw well for this exercise. You can use stick figures and abstract drawings, as well as words to describe each scene. The important thing is to be able to mentally visualize the images from the poem. Also try to imagine where the poet (or “camera”) directs his vision. How would you use close-ups, long shots, cut-aways, etc. Be creative and use your imagination. However, stick to trying to “see” things as the poet sees them. You can also think of sounds — not a musical soundtrack, but any sounds in the poem (for example, a bird call or gibbon’s cry). Try to come up with at least one picture per stanza. In other words, a 10 stanza poem should have 10 frames in the storyboard.

You will work together in pairs.

Good luck!

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Classics of Chinese Literature