Literature & Film Classes

Su Shi; aka Su Dong-po (1037-1101 Northern Song dynasty), was born to a family of scholarly distinction. Su Shi, his father Su Xun, and his younger brother Su Che, were 3 among the “Eight Greatest Essayists of the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) Dynasties”. Su Shi was one of the few literati in Chinese culture who mastered 5 poetic and artistic genres: the Tang Shi poetry, the Song Ci poetry, the Han Fu poetic essay, calligraphy, and painting.

Though Su Shi composed a large number of poems in Tang Shi style, it is his 350 Ci style poems that cemented Su Shi’s name in Chinese literature. Selected Shi poems were studied in detail this past semester in Part 1 Su Shi. In Part 2 of our study of Su Shi, we now shift our focus onto another of his timeless contributions to poetry in Chinese culture, which is the Ci poetry, of which Su Shi is one of the founding masters that helped make the new poetic genre as a major form of lyrical song in Chinese literature, and helped elevate the literary status of the Ci poetry to equal that of the glorious Tang Shi poetry.

Accused of offensive criticisms against the emperor and other court officials with high standing, Su Shi was repeatedly demoted and exiled throughout his life to remote cities. His sufferings from these sad experiences, however, provided him with recalcitrance, courage, and a philosophical attitude fostered by his belief in the creed of detachment of Daoism, which enriched his literary achievement. It is indeed this love and the ultimate pursuit of inner peace that made it possible for Su Shi to be optimistic even in his sown-and-out years.

All the masterworks in 5 different literary and artistic genres are the epitome of the bravura and transcendental spirit of Su Shi. In Parts 3 and 4 of the following semesters, we’ll go on exploring more of his exclusive and unique magic in composing poetic essays, calligraphy, and brush-painting

This 7-week in-person course explores six Chinese films and one Italian classic, all with English subtitles. A careful examination, based on an analytical approach of semiology, will reveal how meanings are considerably enriched through cinematic signs, verbal and non-verbal alike. Rooted in rich historical contexts, these films invite an interdisciplinary approach that connects cinema with history and culture. Through close reading and comparative discussion, especially between Cinema Paradiso and works such as Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles, students will explore how different cultures use film to engage with memory, emotion, and social change, moving from comparative cinema toward comparative culture and history.

The course combines guided discussion and close analysis of the seven feature films. No prior background in film studies, Chinese history, or the Chinese language is required. The seven films covered are: Zhang Yimou’s To Live, The Road Home, Hero, and Riding Alone for Thousands of Miles; Zhou Xiaowen’s Ermo; Lü Yue’s Foliage; and Giuseppe Tornatore’s Cinema Paradiso…