Yu Hua, Author of “I Don’t Have a Name of My Own”
Scene from the movie, “Shower”
In this course we will move from the somewhat artificial language of textbooks to (almost) completely unmediated language of contemporary Chinese short stories and film. We will use, and thereby improve facility with, all four language modalities (reading, writing, speaking, listening) as we place these short stories and films in their social, historical, linguistic, and literary contexts. All readings and class discussion will be in Chinese.
Course Learning Goals:
- Begin to master the vocabulary of literary analysis.
- Learn to manipulate different registers of linguistic formality—the colloquial language of the characters in the texts as well as the formal language of scholarship—through a variety of written exercises and classroom activities.
- Learn more about Modern and Contemporary Chinese history, society and popular culture as we read short stories and view movies published and produced in the last decades of the 20th century.
- Hone Chinese language skills in all four modalities (speaking, listening, reading, writing) through class discussion, homework assignments, pre-writing assignments and essays on selected Chinese short fiction and films.
Suzhou Street Scene
Xia Shang, Author of “Half Idiot”
Textbook:
Beijing Street Scene
Ying Wang and Carrie E. Reed, compiled, Advanced Reader of Contemporary Chinese Short Stories: Reflections on Humanity (Seattle, Washington: University of Washington Press, 2003)
See the CN 450 Moodle page for the course schedule and specific assignments.
Internet Resources for Advanced Chinese Language Study
- Text Sampler Some fun texts, includes movie scripts and popular songs.
- VOA News News articles in Chinese
- Teaching and Learning Chinese Links to materials for intermediate & advanced learners
- Marjorie Chan’s China Links One of the most comprehensive sites there is for materials on Chinese Language
- Chinese grammar wiki Have questions on new or old sentence structures? Search this site!
- Chinese Line Dictionary A web dictionary that allows you to look up words by pinyin or by writing it.
English-Language Internet Resources for Modern and Contemporary Chinese Literature
- Modern Chinese Literature and Culture Center This is an incredibly comprehensive site–if you are looking for information begin here.
- Index and Database on Chinese Writers The main sites is also that of Renditions magazine. Go to this database for brief biographies of major Chinese writers and a listing of works translated
- Asia for Educators Look under the heading “History after 1800–China” for a succinct description of China at the beginning of the 20th century.
- John Fairbank Memorial Chinese History Virtual Library This page contains links to primary documents, maps, photos, essays and all manner of materials concerning Modern Chinese history including a section on Modern Chinese literature–well worth exploring.
- Yin Yu Tang This interactive site (a part of the Peabody Essex Museum and its web site) takes you on a tour of a 200 hundred year old merchant’s house originally in Anhui province, now reconstructed on the grounds of the Peabody Essex Museum. The tour gives you a wonderful sense of family life during the 19th and 20th century. This site will be particularly relevant as you read the story “Plain Gate”.
Scene from movie “To Live”