1. Introductory Lecture - Basic Concepts of the History of Chinese Literature; Literature in Wenyan and Literature in Baihua; The Chinese Novel 2. The preparatory period - political and socially critical novels of the late imperial era (Wu Woyao, Li Baojia, Liu E, Zeng Pu, Li Ruzhen); introduction to the "literary revolution" and the New Literature Movement - demands for language reform, etc. - Liang Qichao, Chen Duxiu, Hu Shi; literary societies and journals 3. The May Fourth Movement and the Beginnings of Modern Literature; Lu Xun 4. Authors and Their Works I. (Mao Dun, Lao She, Ding Ling,...) 5. Authors and Their Works II (Yu Dafu, Ba Jin, Guo Moruo, Shen Congwen) 6. Literature for the Masses, Communist Literature, and Chinese "Socialist Realism"Mao Zedong's Talks on Literature and Art in Yan'an; movements and campaigns of the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s 7. Literature after the Cultural Revolution - xin shiqi wenxue: "Wound Literature" (Liu Xunwu, Lu Xinhua), the zhiqing generation, "New Realism" - reformist literature, the beginnings of modernism (Jiang Zilong, Wang Meng, Lu Wenfu, Feng Jicai) 8. Xungen wenxue - "search for roots" - theoretical introduction, precursors (Wang Zengqi), essays by Han Shaogong, A Cheng, and Li Hangyu; authors and works (A Cheng, Han Shaogong, Shi Tiesheng, Zheng Wanlong, Li Rui, Wang Anyi...) 9. Xianfeng Literature - "avant-garde literature" and prominent authors of the 1980s (Mo Yan, Jia Pingwa, Su Tong, Yu Hua, Can Xue...) 10. Literature after 1989 - "new historical novel" (Zhang Chengzhi, Han Shaogong, Alai, etc.) versus "popular literature" (Yu Hua, Yan Lianke, Jiang Rong, "beautiful women") 11. Chinese sci-fi 12. Chinese online literature
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This one-semester lecture series will explore the origins and development of modern Chinese literature from the mid-19th century to the present day, and will also provide students with an overview of the historical and political context of its evolution. The lectures place particular emphasis on the major milestones and trends in the history of modern Chinese literature and focus on the most prominent figures and works. They also examine in detail the literary styles of various periods, as well as individual schools or types of literature and their interconnection with contemporary social developments. The introductory lectures will provide a brief overview of literature from the late imperial period, focusing particularly on genres written in the "colloquial language" baihua, which are significant in terms of the emergence and development of modern Chinese literature after the fall of the empire. The first half of the course provides an overview of the early stages of the emergence of modern Chinese literature (xiandai wenxue) and the development of literature in the first half of the 20th century. It will characterize the preparatory period preceding the emergence of modern literature in China, while subsequent lectures will discuss in greater detail the literature and most significant authors of the 1920s and 1930s. The second half of the semester is devoted to the beginnings of contemporary literature (dangdai wenxue) from 1949 through the early 1980s, and in particular provides a comprehensive overview of the major literary movements and trends from the 1980s to the present. Key authors of contemporary Chinese literature and their major works will be introduced. The last section of the course introduces contemporary trends, like the Chinese sci-fi and online literature.
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Seminar Work, Written exam, Final project
1. Submitted assignments for four of the seven mini-workshops held during class (i.e., 4 mandatory attendances) 2. Team presentation during the final workshops on a chosen topic related to science fiction or online literature. 3. Final online test (multiple-choice questions; knowledge of names and terms in Chinese characters is requiredsee the course notes and presentations) The primary reading materials for the courseand for test preparationare: a) presentations on individual topics, b) the textbook Modern Chinese Literature (by K. Hladíková, Olomouc: VUP, 2013), c) Anthology of Modern Chinese Literature
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