87349 - Literary Civilisation of Contemporary China (1) (LM)

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course students will have acquired an advanced level of knowledge of contemporary Chinese culture and literature with reference to the original sources. They will be able independently to conduct documentary and bibliographic research, so as to apply their skills in the editorial and publishing field and in the promotion of the cultural heritage.

Course contents

Chinese literary modernity started, perhaps not by chance, with the publication of the first novel in "baihua" (the vernacular language), written in the first person, according to the diary genre (see: "The Diary of a Madman" by Lu Xun). The course will follow the thread of the autobiographical narratives to investigate the 20th and 21st century history and capture its transformations, its main questions and challenges, the emancipation from the "pre-modern" past, but also its contradictions and its repressed subconscious.

The "I" that speaks inside so many novels and poems is obviously a mere literary device, a fictional subject; nonetheless, it sheds light on several aspects of Chinese modern reality. 

Main issues and questions covered by this course:

- "Modernity" and "Chineseness" (before, during and after the revolution)

- "I" and the collective dimension: the personal and the political

- Fiction and gender representation

- Memory and oblivion in the historical/literary narrative

Readings/Bibliography

• Lejeune, Philippe, “Il Patto Autobiografico”, Bologna: Il Mulino, 1986
• Pesaro, Nicoletta; Pirazzoli, Melinda, “La Narrativa Cinese del Novecento”, Roma: Carocci, 2019
• Yu Hua, “La Cina in Dieci Parole”, Milano: Feltrinelli,
• Materiali forniti dalla docente (brani tratti dalle opere di: Lu Xun, Ding Ling, Ba Jin, Ai Qing, Poesia “oscura”, Poesia dei “nuovi operai”, Yu Hua)

Teaching methods

Close reading; text-context analysis; reception theory (a special emphasis is given to the reader and his/her role in bringing the text to life by reading it)

Each lesson is divided in two parts: besides the introduction to each literary work and the description of its historical context along with the close reading under the teacher’s guide, an open discussion among the students will be held (both about the linguistic aspects and the content). The students are required to read by themselves the texts that will be discussed in class and prepare a 15-min presentation (the assignment shall consist of few pages per week: from 5 to 30 at most)

Assessment methods

An oral examination will verify the students' ability to orient themselves in the scanning of the events covered during the course, and to grasp continuity and discontinuity in the main historical, literary and artistic contexts and on the subjects dealt with during the course.

Students who cannot attend the classes should follow a reading program previously arranged with the teacher, moreover they should write a short paper (+ Notes and bibliography).

The student's achievement of an organic vision of the topics dealt with in class and the knowledge required for the discipline combined with their critical use, the demonstration of possession of an expressive mastery and specific language will be evaluated with marks of excellence.
A mnemonic knowledge of the subject and the ability to synthesize and analyze articulated in a correct language, but not always appropriate, will lead to discrete evaluations.

Training gaps and / or inappropriate language, even in a context of minimal knowledge of the exam material, will lead to votes that will not exceed sufficiency. Formal gaps, inappropriate language, lack of orientation in the bibliographic materials foreseen by the course will be negatively evaluated.

Teaching tools

Video, photos and film, will be seen in the classroom and other will be suggested for home vision. Student are invited to propose additional materials to present in the class.

Office hours

See the website of Gaia Perini