EALC.F24

Introduction to Chinese Literature introduces students to the foundational texts of Chinese literature from earliest times until the Qing dynasty. We will consider major literary forms and how they relate to, respond to, and build upon each other. We will also explore how the nature, role, and values of literature are described by literary texts themselves. Students will gain familiarity with the major genres of pre-modern Chinese literature and have a basic understanding of how intertextual borrowings and allusions work in the classical Chinese context. Works surveyed include the Classic of Poetry, the Analects of Confucius, Laozi and Zhuangzi, Tang poetry, and Ming and Qing dynasty fiction and drama.