The Chinese Erotic Novel: Jin Ping Mei

This course explores the late-sixteenth-century novel Jin Ping Mei in its historical and cultural context. Textually, we read all one hundred chapters, compare different editions and textual predecessors (through DH tools), explore illustrations and issues of visuality, and ask questions about authors and commentaries. Contextually, we investigate crucial aspects of late-Ming culture, print culture, medicinal knowledge, monetization, news and gossip, gender, and game culture. and discuss the way these cultural discourses structured the text in terms of content, form, and ideology.