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01:165:241 Chinese Literature in Translation (I): Prose and Poetry
TTH5 (2:50-4:10), Fall 2010
Scott Hall 216
Instructor: Xin Ning
Office: Scott Hall 323
Office Hours: 1:30 to 2:30 TTH
xinning@rci.rutgers.edu; xnxn77@hotmail.com
Course Description:
This course is the first half of the introduction to traditional Chinese poetry and prose from the
beginnings to the early 20th century. In this semester, we will concentrate on the development of
Chinese literature from its beginning (around 11th century BCE) to the end of Southern Song
Dynasty (late 13th century AD). We will explore Chinese literature from many different angles:
its social contexts, forms, history, and gender. The course does not require any previous
knowledge of Chinese literature or culture. All texts are provided in English translations. The
class meets twice a week.
Requirements:
1.
Regular class attendance and participation
2.
Four essays of 4 to 5 pages each (due on date noted in schedule) (essays should be typed,
double-spaced, 12pt font, 1.25” margins on sides and 1” on top and bottom)
3.
An anthology of select poems, to be presented in class (anthology to be turned in no later
than two weeks after presentation in class) (presentations will be done in class from 10/30
through 12/9; three students will present in each class)
4.
Midterm exam
The mid-term examination will consist of three parts:
A section in which you will be asked to list items for a particular topic
A section in which you will be asked to define or discuss certain key terms; and
An essay section in which I will ask you to write on the content, form, or other aspects of the
material we covered in class.
5.
Final exam
The final will follow the format of the mid-term. Although it will not be cumulative, there will
be certain questions for which you will have to relate later material to earlier.
Regular class attendance and participation are important requirements for this course. They can
make a significant difference in your grade.
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Class Schedule:
Week 1: 9/02 Introduction: Traditional Chinese literature and traditional Chinese poetry
Week 2: 9/07 The origin of Chinese poetry: Shi Jing (Shih Ching). The historical context of Shi
Jing; Shi Jing’ Structure; the general form of Shi Jing poems; the reception of Shi Jing in
Chinese history. No. 1, 23, 65 in Yip’s Chinese Poetry.
9/09 Various themes, styles and images in Shi Jing poems (I): “Peach Tree Soft and Tender,”
“Bluffs of the Ru,” “North Wind,” “Magpie’s Nest,” “Plums Are Falling,” “Dead Roe Deer.” (pp.
34-36 in Owen’s Anthology).
Week 3: 9/14 Various themes, styles and images in Shi Jing poems (II): No. 167 in Yip’s
Chinese Poetry; “First the Winds,” “Valley Winds,” “Wind and Rain,” “Thorn-Vine on the
Wall,” “Rainbow,” “Fox,” “Creepers on the Moorland,” “Willow by the Eastern Gate.” (pp. 3640 in Owen’s Anthology).
9/16 Songs from the South: Chu Ci (Ch’u Tz’u). The characteristics of Chu culture and its
differences from northern culture; the life story of Qu Yuan (handout); “Lament for Ying” in
Yip’s Chinese Poetry
Week 4: 9/21 the rise of individual voice and the deliberate use of symbolism and allegory: Li
Sao 1-54 (pp. 162-70 in Owen’s Anthology).
9/23 Li Sao (continued) 55-the ending song (170-75 in Owen’s Anthology).
Week 5: 9/28 The mythological and ritualistic elements in Chu Ci: “The lady of the Xiang
River,” “The Hill Wraith,” “The Kingdom’s Dead,” “Rites for Souls.” (pp. 156-58, 160-62 in
Owen’s Anthology).
9/30 New Folk Songs: Yue Fu (Yüeh-Fu) the rise of five-character line pattern; general themes
of Yue Fu; Yue Fu poems of Han Dynasty: “O Heavens,” “South of the Yangtze,” “The East
Gate,” “Sad Song,” “Water the Horses at a Breach in the Great Wall.” (pp. 76,-77, pp. 80-81, pp.
84-87, pp. 92-94 in Yip’s Chinese Poetry) deadline of the first essay
Week 6: 10/05 Individual Voice in Yue Fu: Nineteen Ancient Poems. No. 1, 3, 14 in Yip’s
Chinese Poetry; No. IV, XIX, X, V, XIV and XV in Owen’s Anthology (pp. 255, 256, 257, 26961).
10/07 Literary Yue Fu: “Bitter Cold: A Song,” “Bearer’s Song,” “Weary Road: 18 Songs, No.
1” in Yip’s Chinese Poetry
Week 7: 10/12 Yue Fu of Southern and Northern Dynasties: “Zi-ye Songs” I-Ii, XII, XVI, XIX,
XX, XXIII, XXIV, XXXIII, XXXVI; “The Ballad of Mu-lan” in Owen’s Anthology (pp. 238-39,
241-43)
10/14 the development of literati poetry in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties: anxiety
and melancholy in poetry; historical backgrounds and new self-consciousness; Cao Zhi, “Song of
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a Brown Wren in Wild Fields,” “ Unclassified Poem II,” Ruan Ji, “Songs of My Cares XVI, VI,
XXXIII,” Cao Cao, “Short Song.” (pp. 270-71, 280 in Owen’s Anthology)
Week 8: 10/19 the development of literati poetry in Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties
(continued): Daoism in poetry; the life of hermit; landscape and countryside; Tao Qian,
“Dwelling in Peace on the Double Ninth,” “Drinking Wine V,” “Returning to Dwell in Gardens
and Fields I,” “Moving My Dwelling I,” “Begging.” Xie Ling-yun, “Written on the Lake,
Returning from the Chapel at Stone Cliff,” “Visiting the Southern Pavilion.” (pp. 315-18, 320,
322 in Owen’s Anthology)
10/21 (Midterm Exam; deadline of the second essay)
Week 9: 10/26 Tang Dynasty: the golden age of Chinese poetry. General introduction. the new
metrical patterns (I): Wu Lü (Five-character eight-line regulated poems) and Wu Jue (Five
Character four-line “curtailed” poems): Li Po, “Taking leave of a Friend,” “Crossing Ching-Men
to See a Friend Off,” “Listening to the Lute Played by Monk Chün from Shu,” Wang Wei,
“Answer to Vice-Prefect Chang,” “ Villa at the foot of Mount Chungnan,” “Autumn Dusk at a
mountain Lodge,” Du Fu, “Spring Scene,” Meng Haoran, “Springtime Sleep,” Liu Zongyuan,
“River Snow,” in Yip, Chinese Poetry (pp. 180, 182, 186-88, 191, 230, 234)
10/28 the new metrical patterns (II): Qi Lü (Seven-character eight-Line regulated poems) and Qi
Jue (Seven-character four-line “curtailed” poems): Du Fu, “Night up in the Tower,” “Climbing
on the Double Ninth Day,” Li Shangyin, “The Inlaid Lute,” “Without Title(I, II),” “Spring Rain,”
Li Po, “To See Meng Hao-Jan Off to Yang-Chou,” “Hearing the Flute in the City of Loyang in a
Spring Night,” Wang Changling, “Complaint from a Lady’s Chamber” in Yip, Chinese Poetry
(pp. 204-05, 210-11, 214-19, 238-41)
Week 10: 11/02 Poems after the style of ancient poems: Gu Shi (“ancient poems”) and literary
Yue Fu in Tang Dynasty. Li Po, “To See Secretary Shu-Yun off at the Hsieh T’iao Tower at
Hsüan-Ch’eng,” “River Song,” “The Song of Ch’ang-Kan” in Yip, Chinese Poetry (pp. 252-53,
264-65, 274-77)
11/04 Gu Shi (“ancient poems”) in Tang Dynasty (continued): Du Fu, “Lament by the River,”
Han Yu, “Visiting the Temple of Mount Heng…” “Mountain Stones” in Owen’s Anthology (pp.
422-23, 485-86, 488-489)
Week 11: 11/09 Long Narrative Poems of Tang Dynasty: Chen Hong, “An Account to Go with
the ‘Song of Lasting Pain” in Owen, Anthology 448-52 and Bo Ju-yi, “Song of Lasting Pain”
11/11 Bo Ju-yi, “Song of Lasting Pain” (continued) in Owen, Anthology (pp. 442-47) deadline
for the third essay
Week 12: 11/16 The Rise of Ci (Tz’u) or Ci Qu in late Tang Dynasty and early Song Dynasty:
from folk songs to literati adaptation. Anonymous, to “Bowing to the New Moon,” to “The
Magpie Steps on the Branch,” to “Washing Creek Sands,” to “Fisherman’s Lyrics”; Wen Tingyun, to “Boddhisattva Barbarian,” Wei Zhuang, to “Boddhisattva Barbarian,” in Owen,
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Anthology (pp.560-62, 563, 565-67); Li Po (?), Tune, “Beautiful Barbarians” (to “Boddhisattva
Barbarian”), in Yip, Chinese Poetry, p. 309.
11/18 The maturation of Ci in Northern Song Dynasty: Ou-yang Xiu, to “Butterflies Love
Flowers,” to “Immortal by the River,” Yan Ji-dao, to “Butterflies Love Flowers,” “Partridge
Weather,” to “The Springtime of marble Halls,” to “Young Ruan Returns,” Liu Yong, to
“Turning Back After Seeing Flowers,” to “Joy at Midnight” in Owen, Anthology (pp. 570-76)
Week 13: 11/23 Su Shi, the master of Ci: to “Song for the River Tune,” to “Immortal by the
River,” to “Settling Wind and Waves,” to “The Charms of Nian-nu”; his prose writing,
“”Account of a Visit One Night to Cheng-tian Temple;” Li Qing-zhao, the female genius: “Like
a Dream,” “Note after Note,” “Southern Song,” to “free-Spirited Fisherman” in Owen, Anthology
(pp. 577-83; 668-69)
Thanksgiving Holiday
Week 14: 11/30 Ci in Southern Song Dynasty: Xin Qi-ji, to “Clear Even Music”, to “West River
Moon,” to “Ugly Slave,” Jiang Kui, to “Red Filling the River,” to “Fragrance from Somewhere
Unseen,” Wu Wen-ying, to “Wind Enters Pines,” to “Night-closing Flowers” in Owen,
Anthology, pp. 584-87, 588-89
12/02 the continual development of traditional poetry in Song Dynasty (Lü poetry, Jue poetry,
Gu Shi and Yue Fu poetry): Mei Yao-chen, “Writing of My Sorrow,” Wang An-shi, “The
Temple of Shooting Stars,” “Meditation on the past at Jin-ling III,” “Wu-zhen Monastery,”
Huang Ting-jian, “Following the Rhymes…” “To Huang Ji-fu,” Lu You, “Gazing in the Evening
North of My Cottage,” “Song of Draft Cursive,” in Owen, Anthology (pp. 690-98)
Week 15: 12/07 the influence of classical Chinese poetry on modern western poetry: Ezra
Pound’s Cathay (selection): “Song of the Bowmen of Shu” (No. 167 in Yip’s Chinese Poetry--a comparison will be interesting); “The Beautiful Toilet,” “The River-Merchant’s Wife: A
letter,” (see Yip’s translation in Chinese Poetry 274-77), “The Jewel Stair’s Grievance,”
“Lament of the Frontier Guard.” (handouts)
12/09 Conclusion (deadline for the last essay)
Date and Time of Final Exam: Thursday 23-Dec 12:00 to 3:00 pm
Grading:
Class attendance: 10%
Participation: 10%
Essays: 24%
Anthology: 16%
Mid-term: 20%
Final: 20%
Required Reading:
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1. Required Books:
Owen, Stephen. An Anthology of Chinese Literature. Beginnings to 1911. New York: Norton,
1996. (ISBN: 0393971066)
Yip, Wai-lim ed. and trans. Chinese Poetry: An Anthology of Major Modes and Genres. Durham:
Duke University Press, 1997. (ISBN: 0822319462)
[Note:] All the required reading materials will be put on sakai.rutgers.edu website by the
end of the previous week.
2. Optional Books:
Chang, Kang-i Sun and Haun Saussy ed. Women Writers of Traditional China. An Anthology of
Poetry and Criticism. Stanford: Stanford University Press, 1999. (ISBN: 0804732302)
Owen, Stephen. Readings in Chinese Literary Thought. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University
Press, 1996. (ISBN: 0674749219)
Other Books that May be Useful to Consult
Birrel, Anne. Chinese Love Poetry: New Songs from a Jade Terrace. Leiden and London, 1982.
---. Popular Songs and Ballads of Han China. Honolulu: University of Hawaii Press, 1993.
Chaves, Jonathon. Columbia Book of Later Chinese Poetry: Yuan, Ming, Ch'ing. New York:
Columbia University Press, 1992.
Frodsham, J.D. and Ch'eng Hsi. An Anthology of Chinese Verse: Han Wei Chin and Northern
and Southern Dynasties. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1967.
Graham, A.C. Poems of the Late Tang. Middlesex and Baltimore, 1965.
Lo, Irving and William Schultz. Waiting for the Unicorn: Poems and Lyrics of China's Last
Dynasty, 1644-1911. Midland Book: 1990.
Watson, Burton. The Columbia Book of Chinese Poetry: From Early Times to the Thirteenth
Century. New York: Columbia University Press, 1984.
Xiao, Tong (501-531), tr. by David Knechtges. Wen Xuan or Selections of Refined Literature.
Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1982- (currently 3 volumes)