Hell on Earth?

Course Schedule

Wed. Jan. 3 Introduction--Literature and Literati in Traditional Chinese Society
China around the turn of the 19th Century
 

Thurs. Jan. 4 The early fictionof Lu Xun--Addressing China 's Ills through Literature

• Preface to Cheering from the Sidelines in Diary, pp. 21-28
• "Diary of a Madman" in Diary, pp. 29-41
• "Kong Yiji" in Diary, pp. 42-48
• "Medicine" in Diary, pp. 49-58

Fri. Jan. 5 Lu Xun's Character Types--The Benighted Peasant, the Victimized Woman and the Ineffectual Intellectual

Please note special meeting time for this session--2:00-3:50 pm

• "A Passing Storm" in Diary, pp. 77-88
• "Ah-Q--The Real Story" in Diary, pp. 101-172
• "New Year's Sacrifice" in Diary, pp. 219-241
• "Mourning the Dead" in Diary, pp. 338-362

Tues. Jan. 9   The Influence of the West--Romance and Decadence

• Yu Dafu, "Sinking" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 44-69
• Ding Ling, "Miss Sophia's Diary" in I Myself Am a Woman,  pp. 49-81 (In the Course Packet)
• Poetry by Xu Zhimo in Columbia Anthology, pp. 503-505
• Movie: Family

Wed. Jan. 10 Critiques of Traditional China (Small  Group Discussions)

• Mao Dun "Spring Silkworms" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 70-89
• Shen Congwen "Xiaoxiao" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 97-110
• Ba Jin "Dog" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 120-125
• Wu Zuxiang "Young Master Gets His Tonic" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 159-173
• Poetry by Wen Yiduo in Columbia Anthology, pp. 506-508

Thurs. Jan. 11 China in the 30s and 40s-- Foreign Aggression and Competition, Internal Strife

• Lao She "An Old and Established Name" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 89-96
• Poetry by Dai Wangshu in Columbia Anthology, pp. 514-515
• Poetry by Ai Qing in Columbia Anthology, pp. 519-523
• Movie: The Lin Family Shop

Fri. Jan. 12 Women Writers and the Female ExperienceI (Small Group Discussions)

• Xiao Hong "Hands" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 174-187
• Eileen Chang "The Golden Cangue" in Modern Chinese Stories and Novellas pp. 530-559 (In the Course Packet)
• Ding Ling "When I was in Xia Village" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 143-158

Tues. Jan. 16 The Taiwan Experience--Emigre Writers

• Zhu Xining "Molten Iron" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 201-214
• Bai Xianyong "Winter Nights" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 221-234
• Movie: Good Men, Good Women

Wed. Jan 17 The Taiwan Experience--Nativist Writers (Small Group Discussions)

• Huang Chunming "His Son's Big Doll" in The Drowning of an Old Cat pp. 37-60 (In the Course Packet)
• Huang Chunming "Ringworms" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 246-254
• Wang Zhenhe "An Oxcart for a Dowry" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 255 274

Thurs. Jan. 18 Back to the Mainland--The Cultural Revolution

• Chen Ruoxi "The Tunnel" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 301-314
• Ba Jin "Remembering Xiao San" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 691-702
• Wen Jieruo "Living Hell" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 703-709
• Movie: Hibiscus Town

Fri. Jan. 19 The Taiwan Experience--Modernity (Small Group Discussions)

• Chen Yingzhen "My Kid Brother Kangxiong" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 215-220
• Wang Wenxing "Flaw" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 235-245
• Wu Luqin "Our Very First Telephone" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 672 677
• Yuan Qiongqiong "Tales of Taipei" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 349-355

Tues. Jan. 23 Morning session rescheduled to Monday Jan. 29 10:00-11:50 AM

Afternoon session

Movie: The Blue Kite

Wed. Jan. 24 Reactions to Socialist Realism I

• Movie: Yellow Earth

Thurs. Jan. 25 Reactions to Socialist Realism II

• Liu Heng “Dogshit Food” in Columbia Anthology, pp. 416-428
• Cao Naiqian “When I Think of You Late at Night There’s Nothing I Can Do” in Chairman Mao Would Not Be Amused, pp. 197-205
• Wang Xiangfu “Fritter Hollow Chronicles” in Chairman Mao Would Not Be Amused, pp. 296-314

Fri. Jan. 26 Satire and Reinterpretations of the Recent Past (Small Group Discussions)

• Wang Meng "Tales of New Cathay" in Columbia Anthology, pp.296-300
• Han Shaogong "The Leader's Demise" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 387 398
• Li Rui "Electing a Thief" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 356-359
• Li Xiao "Grass on the Rooftop" in Chairman Mao Would Not Be Amused, pp. 130-155
• Ge Fei "Remembering Mr. Wu You" in Chairman Mao Would Not Be Amused, pp. 236-243

Mon. Jan. 29 Women Writers and the Female Experience II and Course Wrap-up

• Tie Ning "Octday" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 474-484
• Can Xue "Hut on the Mountain" in Columbia Anthology, pp. 383-386
• Ai Bei "Green Earth Mother" in Chairman Mao Would Not Be Amused,  pp. 182-196

Tues. Jan. 30 Lu Xun's Legacy

• Mo Yan "The Cure" in Chairman Mao Would Not Be Amused, pp. 172-181
• Bi Feiyu, "The Ancestor" in Chairman Mao Would Not Be Amused, pp. 215-228
• Yang Zhengguang "Moonlight over the Field of Ghosts" in Chairman Mao Would Not Be Amused, pp. 229-235

Detail from a piece of traditional Chinese furniture