CHIN-3541: Modern Chinese Fiction

Course Description: This is a fifth-level Chinese course with a focus on modern Chinese-language literature and designed for students who have completed at least two 3000- or 3100-level Chinese courses or placed into the 3500-level; the course will be conducted entirely in Chinese. The course provides a general introduction to Chinese literary writings from the long twentieth century and aims to improve students’ comprehensive Chinese language skills at an advanced level. Students will read and discuss major literary works, primarily in the short story genre, by a broad range of writers, from Lu Xun–arguably “the father of modern Chinese literature”–to globally renowned writers like Eileen Chang and Yu Hua. The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the various literary expressions of modern China, as well as their changing cultural and political contexts.