Spring 2006

ANS 372 • Supernatural Naturalism in Classical Chinese Fiction-W

Course Description

Readings will be taken from the stories, fables, and romances of the Chinese Classical tradition ranging from the 3rd and 4th century B.C. Taoist philosophers Zhuang Zi and Lieh Zi to the 17th- and 18th-century novels of Wu Chengen's Journey to the West and Cao Xueqin's The Story of the Stone, culminating in Pu Songling's many "Strange Tales". The course will focus on the themes of nature, human nature, and the supernatural, and how these works might be described as peculiarly "Chinese" in their depictions of them.

Texts

Monkey translated by Arthur Waley The Story of the Stone Volumes 1, 2, & 3 translated by David Hawkes Chinese Fairy Tales and Fantasies translated and edited by Moss Roberts. Translations of Liaozhai Zhiyi stories will be handed out in class.

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