Classical Chinese Poetry I. Course Description II. Course Requirements

Classical Chinese Poetry CHI 341 32605 Spring 2020 Class Times: TTH 2-3:30 pm Location: CMA 3.108 Instructor: Sung-sheng Yvonne Chang, Professor Office: WCH 4.124 E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: Th 3:30-6:30 pm

I. Course Description

The class will read classical Chinese poetry of the shi 詩 genre from the earliest period (Shijing or the Books of Songs, dating from the 11th to 7th centuries BC) all the way to the end of the Tang Dynasty (618–907 BC). Class activities include: 1). Translation of pre- assigned Chinese poems into English and close analysis and discussion of their linguistic and aesthetic features. 2). Background readings of scholarly writings in English that deal with the historical developments, interpretive frames, period styles, and cultural implications of traditional Chinese poetry. 3). Memorization of celebrated works of the Tang poetry.

Given that an enormous number of poems from China’s pre-modern period have been preserved and are still available to us today, the class combines historical and anthological approaches to facilitate students’ understanding of this singularly important Chinese literary tradition. Through close examination of the ways distinctive attributes of the Chinese language (graphic, audio, and grammatical) were explored to achieve poetic effects over a period of several centuries, we hope to enhance the student’s aesthetic sensibility in general and linguistic competence in Chinese in particular.

Since the mid-20th century, excellent scholarships on traditional Chinese poetry have appeared in the English language. The class will read chapters selected from Chinese Lyricism by Burton Watson and The Art of Chinese Poetry by James Liu for essential background knowledge. Students are encouraged to browse a few other recommended books, on reserve or available in electronic format, to help contextualize the poems they choose to analyze in their papers.

Students who have acquired Chinese as a second language should have completed at least three years of college-level Chinese in an American university (or the equivalents) before enrolling in this class.

II. Course Requirements

1). Translation and analysis of poems Poems will be assigned for close linguistic analysis and verbal translation in class. Titles of poems and page numbers in textbooks and course packet will be posted in the “Assignments” section of Canvas, the official website of the class. Each student is expected to look up words and expressions in the assigned poems that he or she does not already know and get their correct pronunciations before coming to class, and be prepared to read aloud the poetic lines and translate them into English in a somewhat fluent fashion.

2). Background readings

Before we start a new historical period, background readings from Chinese Lyricism: Shih Poetry from the Second to the Twelfth Century or The Art of Chinese Poetry will be assigned. Quizzes on these materials will be given in class. These quizzes will not always be announced in advance.

3). Poetry memorization

Beginning roughly in the middle of the semester, the students will be asked to memorize selected poems from various sub-genres of the Tang poetry and write them down in class in Chinese characters.

4). Papers

Two interpretative papers, one mid-term and one final, due on March 26 and May 12, respectively, are required.

III. Grading Policies

Grades will be based on:

(a) Class preparation and participation in discussion (40%) (b) Papers (mid-term, 20%; final, 25%) (c) Quizzes and memorization (15%)

Attendance:

Absences exceeding the allowed quota (3 times in the entire semester) may result in automatic dropping of the final grade by one or more levels.

Plus/minus grades will be assigned for the final grade.

IV. Course Materials

1). Poems to be covered in the semester are selected from the following original sources:

• Book of Poetry (Shi Jing) • Rhyme-prose or rhapsody (fu) from Han Dynasty • Music Bureau ballads (Yuefu) • “The Nineteen Old Poems” • Poetry from the Six Dynasties • “Modern-style” poetry from the Tang Dynasty: Five-character cut-off verse (wuyan jueju), Seven-character cut-off verse (qiyan jueju), Five-character regulated verse (wuyan lushi), Seven-character regulated verse (qiyan lushi) • “Ancient-style” poetry (gushi) from the Tang Dynasty

2). Textbooks:

(a) Primary texts of Chinese poems

• A scanned copy of the course packet will be posted in the “Files” section of Canvas. • Drinking with the Moon: A Guide to Classical Chinese Poetry by Jeannette Faurot (available at University Co-op)

(b) Background readings in English

Required • Burton Watson, Chinese Lyricism: Shih Poetry from the Second to the Twelfth Century (available at University Co-op) • James J. Y. Liu, The Art of Chinese Poetry (available at University Co-op)

Recommended • Stephen Owen, The Great Age of Chinese Poetry: The High T'ang (On reserve at PCL) • Stephen Owen, The Late Tang: Chinese Poetry of the Mid-ninth Century (827-860) (On reserve at PCL) • Shuen-fu Lin and Stephen Owen, eds. The Vitality of the Lyric Voice: Shih Poetry from the Late Han to the T'ang (e-copy available at UT Library) • Zong-qi Cai, ed., How to Read Chinese Poetry: A Guided Anthology (e-copy available at UT Library)

**Documented Disability Statement: Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities at 471-6259 (voice), 232-2937 (video phone) or http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd