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U481 Survey of Tibetan Literature
Lauran Hartley

The primary aim of this course, designed for both undergraduate and graduate students, is to introduce students to a representational sample of Tibetan literary works spanning from the Tibetan imperial period to the present-day. Our focus will be on creative writings (in English translation) by past and contemporary Tibetan writers, whose works for various reasons have found salience in current debates among Tibetan intellectuals in the PRC. We will undertake close readings of these texts, in addition to discussing general characteristics of the genres they represent. Special emphasis will be placed on more secular and popular literature, as well as landmark works from the 1980s and 1990s.

Each session will consist of a lecture followed by discussion. Lectures will incrementally provide students with a general timeline of Tibetan literary and related historical developments, as well as biographical material on authors assigned for that week. Questions we will address include: What are the origins or inspiration for the literary work(s) assigned? To what extent does the work represent a literary genre? How has Tibetan literature changed in form and content throughout its history? How has the very concept of "Tibetan literature" been conceived? How do Tibetan writers today incorporate classical influences in their work? Are there identifiable differences in the approaches of tibetophone as compared to sinophone writers? How have Tibetan writers and scholars, past and present, negotiated literary innovation? Students of Tibetan language will be offered optional sessions to read excerpts from selected texts in Tibetan.

course requirements:

1. Prompt attendance and active participation at all class meetings. (20% of semester grade.)

2. Informal "thought papers." Each week you are asked to prepare and send me a one-page (double-spaced, typed) response to the required reading, something that reflects thoughtful engagement with the texts. These assignments are due via e-mail twenty-four hours prior to class. (In total, 25% of semester grade.)

3. One mid-term take-home examination. (25% of semester grade.)

4. A final seminar paper (approx. 15 pages). (30% of semester grade.)

TEXTBOOKS:

Required:
Gyatso, Janet. Apparitions of the Self: The Secret Autobiographies of a Tibetan Visionary. Princeton University Press, 1998.
Stewart, Frank. Mānoa:Song of the Snow Lion 12:2. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press [2000].
Virtanen, Riika J., comp. and ed. A Blighted Flower and Other Stories. Dharamsala: Library of Tibetan Works and Archives, 2000.
Optional:
Cabezón, José Ignacio and Jackson, Roger. Tibetan Literature: Studies in Genre. Ithaca: Snow Lion 1996.
Tshe ring dbang rgyal, The Tale of the Incomparable Prince. Trans by Beth Newman. NY: Harper Collins Publishers, 1996. [OUT OF PRINT]
Available from the instructor:
Bhum, Pema. Six Stars with a Crooked Neck: Tibetan Memoirs of the Cultural Revolution. Dharamsala: Tibet Times, 2001.
Lungta 12 "Contemporary Tibetan Literature." Dharamsala: Amnye Machen Institute. (Summer 1999)
Tailing, W. The Secret Tale of Tesur House. Beijing: China Tibetology Publishing House, 1998.

In addition to these texts, other readings will be available in a photocopied Course Reader.

Days and Time: Wednesday, 2:30-5:00.