The course aims at providing a basic knowledge of the principal trends and the most influential authors of modern and contemporary Chinese and Sinophone literature and a knowledge of the historical and cultural context from the fall of the empire to the first decade of the XXI century will be part of the course.
With reference to independency of judgement, the student acquires the ability to problematize and contextualize categories and genres within the literary history of modern and contemporary China and the ability to identify elements characterizing some literary genres, and their evolution, together to the formation of currents and schools. The aim is also to increase the student's critical awareness of their personal relationship with literary fruition.
With reference to communication skills, the student acquires the ability to construct oral/written discourses employing concepts and terminology relevant to the topics covered by the course, and the ability to comment on texts in a pertinent way.
Chinese A2 language proficiency
Knowledge of the XIX and XX century global history
Traditional in-person lesson, brainstorming, vision and critical commentary of audiovisual materials.
Oral exam.
The exam consists of approximately two questions related to Module A and two questions related to Module B. In addition, there will be one question concerning a literary text (either a short story collection or a novel) selected by the student from a list provided via Moodle. Please note that students are required to choose (and read) one literary text for each module.
The questions regarding the history of literature, texts, and authors are intended not only to assess the acquisition of knowledge but also the student's ability to read and analyze texts, as well as their understanding of the historical and literary significance of the works and their authors.
After an overview of the historical and political events of the 19th century, the authors protagonists of the major changes on the literary scene and representatives of modern Chinese literature are introduced. A reflection will also be made on the very concept of Chinese modernity.
In the second part of the course (Modulo B), the close link between politics and literature in the years of Maoism (from the foundation of the People's Republic of China to the end of the Cultural Revolution) will be explored. In this context, the Maoist "canon" will be illustrated, through the analysis of the language and the narrative strategies detectable in the texts.
The last part of the course explores literary life after the Cultural Revolution, together with the main currents that flow from it - through some prominent authors - up to the 1990s. As regards the more contemporary panorama, the most accredited Chinese authors of the 2000s in the PRC will be introduced, as well as the Sinophone writers and literary productions, through the most authoritative voices on the international scene.
For historical topics, please refer to the history books available in the library (Vogelsang 2014; Roberts 2013). For literary topics, consult the Leganto site and the documents shared on the course’s Moodle page. All texts available on Moodle are to be considered part of the course syllabus.
Attending/Non-attending students: Please note that the slides (PPT) available on Moodle are intended for attending students who, by participating in the lectures, have the opportunity to understand and critically engage with the content. The slides are used solely as an outline or guide for the lecture and must always be supplemented with the study of the assigned bibliography.
