Readings in Chinese Literature: Emotions in Middle Period Chinese Literature

This course explores the history of emotions in Tang, Five Dynasties, and Northern Song literature, examining form and emotional expression, genre-specific conventions, the discourse of emotions in Buddhism and Daoism, and norms of gendered emotional expression. We explore secondary scholarship to survey recent trends in the field. Key writers include Du Fu, Bai Juyi, Yuan Zhen, Han Yu, Meng Jiao, Li He, Mei Yaochen, Ouyang Xiu, Liu Yong, and Su Shi. Genres will include shi poetry, yuefu, song lyrics, funerary writing, and letters. Students from any field are welcome; strong reading skills in Classical Chinese required.