When my daughter said she wanted to study Chinese literature, I was thrilled! I was also a bit intimidated because I knew nothing about the subject. But I have always loved literature and I am forever committed to supporting her in connecting with her birth heritage. After a boat load of research and receiving input from a sweet Chinese friend, we settled on a hefty and exciting reading list. I cannot wait to dive into these titles with her. Combined with the Chinese History class we have designed, it’s going to be a wonderful year!

Beginning with philosophy, she will spend the first quarter studying Lao Tzu, Chuang Tzu, Confucius, Mencius, and Sun Tzu. I ultimately landed on studying philosophy first to lay the foundation for so much of Chinese culture. With their influences weaved all throughout China’s cultural identity, they’re an absolute must. She will also compare the Taoist and Confucian worldviews to Christianity in written analyses of their major philosophical tenets. A short written analysis of The Art of War‘s relevance to the modern world will also be assigned. Buddhist writings are not included because, although extremely influential in Chinese culture, they are not Chinese in origin.

The second quarter will be spent learning about the major aspects of and studying classic Chinese poetry. With so many of the great scholars sharing reflections of history through poetry, it is an essential aspect of studying classic Chinese literature. This study is meant to not only build an understanding and framework of the culture, but also understand and become comfortable with poetry analysis concepts. She’ll be analyzing and writing reflections on the Shi-Jing (Book of Songs), the works of great poets like Du Fu, Li Bai, Wang Wei, and Li Qingzhao, as well as touching on other poets of the Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties.

The third and fourth quarters will be spent studying and conducting literary analyses of three of the greatest Chinese novels, Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Dream of the Red Chamber. I was originally hoping to include The Water Margin, but it’s a huge book and nothing else seemed exclusion-worthy. Included in her readings will be instruction regarding literary devices, literary analysis, and MLA-style essay writing. My goal for her is to understand the major themes of these novels, how they have impacted Chinese culture, and what aspects make them still relevant today.

Course Description: Coming soon

Literary Works:

• The Four Chinese Classics, which includes:
  • Tao Te Ching
  • Chuang Tzu
  • Analects
  • Mencius
• The Art of War, by Sun Tzu
• The Shi-Jing (The Book of Songs)
• Li Sao and Other Poems of Qu Yuan
• How to Read Chinese Poetry, edited by Zong-Qi Cai, including poetry studies of the famous Du Fu, Li Bai, Wang Wei, and Li Qingzhao
• Monkey: Journey to the West, by Wu Ch’êng’ên
• The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, by Luo Guangzhong
• Dream of the Red Chamber, by Tsao Hsueh-Chin

Other Resources:

• IEW’s The Elegant Essay
• IEW’s Teaching the Classics
• IEW’s Windows to the World
• Tao Te Ching: The Taoism of Lao Tzu Explained
• Understanding the Analects of Confucius
• Various online sources for guidance on literary analysis of the novels

Assessments are based on written reading reflections, written philosophy analyses, written poet studies and poetry analyses, and three MLA-style essays (one for each novel). Reading discussions and writing prompts will also be included.

This is a 36-week honors-level class hosted on Canvas that is heavy in reading, writing, and self-study. Students should expect to spend 4-6 hours weekly on the reading material and assignments.

 

Classic Chinese Lit Weekly Overview

Week	Topic
1	Tao Te Ching
2	Tao Te Ching
3	Chuang Tzu
4	Chuang Tzu
5	Analects
6	Analects
7	Analects
8	Mencius
9	Mencius
10	Art of War
11	Intro to Poetry, Book of Songs
12	Qu Yuan poetry, Li Sao
13	Han Dynasty and Six Dynasty poetry
14	Du Fu poetry
15	Li Bai poetry
16	Wang Wei poetry
17	Li Qingzhao poetry
18	Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing Dynasty poetry
19	Monkey: Journey to the West
20	Monkey: Journey to the West
21	Monkey: Journey to the West
22	Monkey: Journey to the West
23	Monkey: Journey to the West
24	The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
25	The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
26	The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
27	The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
28	The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
29	The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
30	The Romance of the Three Kingdoms
31	Dream of the Red Chamber
32	Dream of the Red Chamber
33	Dream of the Red Chamber
34	Dream of the Red Chamber
35	Dream of the Red Chamber
36	Dream of the Red Chamber