World Literature 381A - ST:Chinese Popular Fiction or What Is Big about "Small Talk "4,x He

Institution:

Whitman College

Subject:

Description:

This course explores popular fiction, known as "small talk" in Chinese. Fiction initially circulated as an unofficial complement to the official canon of Confucian classics. Nonetheless, "small talk" has grown big since the late imperial period and eventually become the predominant genre in Chinese literary culture. What has made popular Chinese fiction popular at different time periods from the late imperial to the Republic period Does fiction critique socio-cultural conventions while entertaining the reader Has it approached gendered roles in innovative ways Does it expand imagination beyond the everyday and elitist aesthetics We will discuss these questions among others. The reading will be drawn from popular genres such as martial arts fiction, fantasy tales, romance novels, and social novels. In addition to examining popular fiction in the Chinese context, the course will touch upon creative borrowing by Western writers, such as Kafka. No prior knowledge of Chinese language or literature is require

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.whitman.edu

Phone Number:

(509) 527-5111

Regional Accreditation:

Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Calendar System:

Semester

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