"Identity and Passion in Modern Chinese Literature and Film"

Who says there is nothing in common between revolution and
commercialization?  This course will examine various passions
expressed in 20th century Chinese literature and film, both in
relation to such themes as love, nationalism, and revolution, and in
relation to commercialization.  We will explore commercialization as
an important source of passion, producing frenzies in the form of
fashion and star-worship.  The course will ask how these passions
play a part in the construction of identity in 20th century China.
Moreover, how does passion produce its antithesis—the black humor,
playfulness, and indifference of the antihero?  Film will constitute
a large part of course materials, and readings will range from the
famous writer Lu Xun’s stories, to what is labeled as “hooligan
literature” in the 1980s and 1990s, and to the so- called “little
bourgeois” literature that comes from all periods of the  20th
century.

No prerequisites; knowledge of Chinese language and literature is
not required.