Classics of Chinese Literature

Readings

Readings listed under each session should be completed before that session, unless otherwise specified.

[Owen Anthology] = Owen, Stephen. An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911. Edited and translated by Stephen Owen. W. W. Norton & Company, 1996. ISBN: 9780393038231.

WEEK	READINGS
1: Introduction	None
2: Classic Poetry	-Be prepared to read aloud the following readings in [Owen Anthology]: “She Bore the Folk,” pp. 12–4 “Fishhawk” and “The Han so Wide,” pp. 30–2 “Plums Are Falling,” p. 36 “Ballad of Mulan,” pp. 241–3 -Be prepared for group work on the following readings in [Owen Anthology]: Tao Qian, “An Account of Peach Blossom Spring”, pp. 309–10 Selected Poetry of Tao Qian, pp. 311–6 The chapter of “The Tang Dynasty,” pp. 365–84 Selected content in the chapter of “High Tang Poetry,” including: “Wang Wei,” pp. 385–8 “Li Bo,” pp. 397–404 “Du Fu,” pp. 413–4, (Skip “A Mei-pi Lake Song”) “Giving Account of Oneself,” pp. 416–20 “The Poetry of Rebellion,” pp. 420–21 “Kui-zhou and Du Fu’s Final Years,” pp. 431–38. “Interlude: Xuan-zong and Yang, The Prized Consort,” p. 441 Bo Ju-yi, “Song of Lasting Pain,” pp. 442–7 Chen Hong, “An Account to go with the ‘Song of Lasting Pain,’” pp. 448–52 “Yu Xuan-ji,” pp. 509–10
3: Poetry and Classic Stories	“Ying-ying’s Story,” in [Owen Anthology], pp. 540–9. Birch, Cyril. “An Account of the Governor of the Southern Branch.” In The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature. Edited by Victor H. Mair and translated by Cyril Birch. Columbia University Press, 1994, pp. 861–71. Lung, Conrad. “Artisan Tsui and his Ghost Wife.” In Traditional Chinese Stories: Themes and Variations. Edited by Y. W. Ma and Joseph S. M. Lau and translated by Conrad Lung. Cheng & Tsui, 1986, pp. 252–63. ISBN: 9780887270710. Kelly, Jeanne. “The Pearl Shirt Reencountered.” In Traditional Chinese Stories: Themes and Variations. Edited by Y. W. Ma and Joseph S. M. Lau and translated by Jeanne Kelly. Cheng & Tsui, 1986, pp. 264–92. ISBN: 9780887270710. Selections of Pu Songling’s Liauzhai zhiyi from: Zeitlin, Judith T. “Appendix: Translations.” In Historian of the Strange: Pu Songling and the Chinese Classical Tale. Stanford University Press, 1993, pp. 207–18. ISBN: 9780804720854. Li, Yu. “An Ugly Husband Fears a Pretty Wife.” In Silent Operas (Wushengxi). Edited by Patrick Hanan. Research Centre for Translation, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1996, pp. 3–42.
4: Introduction to Drama: The Story of the Western Wing	Begin reading Wang, Shi-fu. The Story of the Western Wing. Edited and translated by Stephen H. West and Wilt L. Idema. University of California Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780520201842. [Preview with Google Books]
5: Drama (cont.)	Discuss the readings of: “Ying-ying’s Story,” in [Owen Anthology], pp. 540–9. Focus on pp. 191-245 and 277-286 from Wang, Shi-fu. The Story of the Western Wing. Edited and translated by Stephen H. West and Wilt L. Idema. University of California Press, 1995. ISBN: 9780520201842. [Preview with Google Books]
6: Introduction to the Novel: Three Kingdoms	Read the following selected chapters in Lo, Kuan-chung. Three Kingdoms: China’s Epic Drama. Edited and translated by Moss Roberts. Pantheon Books, 1977. ISBN: 9780394733937. “Introduction” “The Oath of Fraternity in the Peach Garden; Three Heroes Establish Their Name” “The Imperial Hunt; The Secret Decree” “Ts’ao Ts’ao Judges the Contenders” “Lord Kuan Comes to Terms with Ts’ao Ts’ao; Lord Kuan Rescues Ts’ao Ts’ao at White Horse” “Yuan Shoao Loses Two Generals; Lord Kuan Leaves Ts’ao Ts’ao” “Lord Kuan Pursued” “Liu Pei Surprises Fan; Tan Fu Recommands Chuko Liang” “Liu Pei Solicits the Recluse” “K’ung-ming Fixes the Course of War; Sun Ch’uan Destroys Huang Tsu” “The Celebration on the Yangzte; Ts’ao’s Ode” “K’ung-ming Supplicates the Wind; Chou Yu Unleashes the Fire” “As Predicted, Lord Kuan Obliges Ts’ao Ts’ao” “Public Duty and Personal Honor”
7: Introduction to the Novel: Three Kingdoms (cont.)	Continue reading the above selections from Lo, Kuan-chung. Three Kingdoms: China’s Epic Drama. Edited and translated by Moss Roberts. Pantheon Books, 1977. ISBN: 9780394733937.
8: Novel (cont.): Outlaws of the Marsh	Shi, Nai’an, and Guanzhong Luo. Chapters 1–3, 6, 9–13, 14, and 18 in Outlaws of the Marsh: An Abridged Version. Translated by Sidney Shapiro. Commercial Press, 1986. ISBN: 9789620710674. ———. Chapters 1, 82, and 100 in Outlaws of the Marsh. Vol. 1–2. Translated by Sidney Shapiro. Indiana University Press, 1981, pp. 1–4, 1295–310, and 1387–605. ISBN: 9780253125743. Watch Water Margin: True Colors of Heroes, directed by Billy Chan. Film, 1993.
9: Monkey/Journey to the West	Watch Monkey Goes West, directed by Meng Hua Ho. Film, 1966. Chinese Odyssey Part One: Pandora’s Box, directed by Jeffery Lau. Film, 1994. Or Red Cliffs, directed by John Woo. Film, 2008. Begin reading the following: Wu, Ch’eng-en. Monkey: Folk Novel of China. Translated by Arthur Waley. Grove/Atlantic, 1994. ISBN: 9780802130860. (Note: if you are pressed for time skip Chapters 10, 11, 13, 15, 17, 18, 23, and 27.) Chang, H. C., trans. “The Women’s Kingdom.” Chapters 54–55 in The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature. Edited by Victor H. Mair. Columbia University Press, 1994, pp. 1035–71.
10: Monkey/Journey to the West (cont.)	Discuss the following two texts: Wu, Ch’eng-en. Monkey: Folk Novel of China. Translated by Arthur Waley. Grove/Atlantic, 1994. Chang, H. C., trans. “The Women’s Kingdom.” Chapters 54–55 in The Columbia Anthology of Traditional Chinese Literature. Edited by Victor H. Mair. Columbia University Press, 1994, pp. 1035–71. Begin reading the following selected chapters in Cao, Xueqin. The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber. Vol. 1–5. Edited by E. Gao and translated by David Hawkes and John Minford. Penguin Group, 1973–86. ISBN: 9780140442939. Vol. 1: Chapters of Introduction, 1–6, 8, 11–13, 15, 17, 22–23, and 25 Vol. 2: Chapter of 37–39 and 41 Vol. 3: Chapter of 73–74 Vol. 4: Chapter of 94–98 Vol. 5: Chapter of 116 and 119–120
11: Dream of the Red Chamber	Continue reading the selections from Cao, Xueqin. The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber. Vol. 1–5. Edited by E. Gao and translated by David Hawkes and John Minford. Penguin Group, 1973–86. ISBN: 9780140442939.
12: Dream of the Red Chamber (cont.)	Watch Dream of the Red Chamber, directed by Han Chin. Film, 1978.
13: Begin presentations	(no readings)
14: Presentations (cont.)	(no readings)
15: Final day of class	(no readings)