COLT 55.03 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-fledged 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 reflected 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

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Department-Specific Course Categories

Comparative Literature