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Week Two: Modern Chinese Literature

Week Two: Modern Chinese Literature. Fylde Building, Room 412 Wednesday, 1-1:50 pm Instructor: Gang Sui. The New-Year Sacrifice Lu Xun. Questions from Xianglin’s Wife – “Do dead people turn into ghosts or not?” “That means there must be a hell too?”

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Week Two: Modern Chinese Literature

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  1. Week Two: Modern Chinese Literature Fylde Building, Room 412 Wednesday, 1-1:50 pm Instructor: Gang Sui

  2. The New-Year SacrificeLu Xun Questions from Xianglin’s Wife – “Do dead people turn into ghosts or not?” “That means there must be a hell too?” “Then will all the members of a family meet again after death?” Tentative answers to her questions – “Quite possibly, I’d say.” “Hell? Logically speaking, there should be too – but not necessarily. Who cares anyway?” “In that case… actually, I’m not sure…. In fact, I’m not sure whether there are ghosts or not either.” For the purposes of comparison and/or contrast, discuss the Western (?) concepts of “life”, “death”, “ghost”, “soul”, and “afterlife” as manifested in Shakespeare’s Sonnet 146 and Whitman’s Chant 6 in Leaves of Grass.

  3. Characterization dramatic characterization + expository characterization Three-dimensional characterization + one-dimensional characterization Xianglin’s Wife: a flat character or a round character? Why (What are some of the examples of textual evidence)? What words (nouns, adjectives, etc.) can be used to describe Xianglin’s Wife as the protagonist of the story?

  4. Narration narrative point of view: peripheral, limited vs. omniscient reliable or not? Conflict(s) – the “Meat” of the Plot -- conflict between the protagonist and the other characters -- conflict between the protagonist and the society -- conflict between the protagonist and herself -- conflict between the protagonist and her fate

  5. Tone(pity, noble indignation?)sympatheticempatheticironical/satiricalcritical Whose Tragedy? a personal tragedy a social tragedy a cultural tragedy a human tragedy

  6. NewCultureMovement (the mid 1910s and 1920s) -- vernacular language widely used in literary creation -- call for democracy, science, individual freedom, and women’s liberation -- bitter criticism against social ills and individual weaknesses as painfully observed in real-life experiences -- search for inspiration/guidance beyond China for the sake of China’s betterment -- awareness of the inadequacy of traditional values alone to cope with new crises in the modern world -- awareness of the need for social change and cultural renewal

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