CLASSICAL CHINESE POETRY

This graduate seminar aims to introduce students to early medieval poetry and poetics, tracing the changes and transformations of poetic language and social functions of shi-poetry from the third century to the seventh century CE. While the course presents a diachronic and historical perspective in the structuring of material, starting from the Jian’an Era (196-220 CE) and concluding at the Sui dynasty (581-619), it is also issue-driven, seeking to highlight important literary historical phenomena during these centuries, including the dialectic between reclusion and government service, landscape, court composition, trauma writing, and literary imitation. Students will also learn methodologies and general approaches to early medieval literature.

Readings include primary texts in classical Chinese and secondary scholarship. Prerequisite: students should have at least two years of experience in learning classical Chinese.