ASCL 60.10 Eco-Fiction: Stories of Ghosts and Other Beings from Premodern China

In this class, we will read a selection of Chinese literary texts (anecdotes, full-\uFB02edged tales, poetry) from the third to the nineteenth centuries that feature ghosts. We will consider these ghost stories as a means by which premodern Chinese literary authors explored the ecological connections between the natural and human worlds, and re\uFB02ected on the relations among humans and between humans and other beings, both animate and inanimate. We will see that ghosts are not just metaphors in these stories. Interaction with ghosts enable human authors to contemplate and unlearn conditions of being and becoming human.

Because close reading is the key skill that students will learn and practice throughout the quarter, the class will also incorporate creative writing exercises and creative assignments to help students better understand techniques of storytelling. Towards this goal, we will read selected theoretical texts on ecocriticism and narratology and discuss how premodern Chinese literary texts can respond to questions and propositions raised by modern and contemporary theorists in creative ways.

Degree Requirement Attributes

Dist:LIT; WCult:NW

The Timetable of Class Meetings contains the most up-to-date information about a course. It includes not only the meeting time and instructor, but also its official distributive and/or world culture designation. This information supersedes any information you may see elsewhere, to include what may appear in this ORC/Catalog or on a department/program website. Note that course attributes may change term to term therefore those in effect are those (only) during the term in which you enroll in the course.

Department-Specific Course Categories

Asian Societies, Cultures, and Languages