CHIN 274 Ghost and Love Stories

This seminar course will explore ghosts and other disembodied beings in the Chinese literary tradition, from the earliest historical documents, philosophical texts, and Buddhist tales, to the Six Dynasties zhiguai records of the strange, the Tang chuanqi tales of the marvelous, and Ming dynasty vernacular fiction. We will focus on recurring motifs and archetypes which weave the supernatural into love stories, especially as manifested in two Qing dynasty masterpieces: Pu Songling's Strange Tales and Cao Xueqin's The Story of the Stone. Modern stories and film will also be examined for their adaptations of traditional motifs and archetypes. Given in alternate years.