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Anonymous[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]I thought the story by Lu Hsün "The New Year's Sacrifice" not only told something about the way of life in China, but I can see it as an allegory for today. I work in downtown LA and my students walk past homeless on their way in and out of the school. The are the educated elite, and just how deep do they think about the lives of the street people. It is so easy for us to feel for them, and then just like the narrator, wake up in a cozy bed and pull the covers up and forget about it. Not only does this story educate about China, but also class struggle and could be used to have all kinds of thoughtful discussions. [/font]
AnonymousI appreciate the level of discussion Brian Bernards brought to the seminar. His reading list is useful to me, even if I would not be using it with students. I was interested in the proposals for reforming literature and the life stories of the featured writers Lu Xun, and Eileen Chang. The concept of what could these writers have become without the disruptions of war and changing governments. The 20c writers had so many challenges and upheaval. I have read European stories about the times before and after war, it is interesting and informative to learn more about the lives of the Chinese writers. I plan to pursue many of the novels and film recommendations.
AnonymousAlthough China is an ancient land it has undergone reinvention time and time again. Nationalism, and regionalism galvinize the people only to see it torn apart by factualism. The ying and yang of the chinese culture produces wonderful lessons of respect but also crushing brutality even within the family structure that Dr. Bernard spoke of and illustrated. As with all cultures, the literature often reflects the times. I would feel inadequate to try to bring forth the nuances of the periods of which he spoke, but would rather have him or someone like him to explain and translate the subtleties of the literature. A specialist is needed....in my humble opinion.
AnonymousI absolutely loved Professor Bernards’ presentation. As a former English teacher, current librarian and literature lover in general, I felt that Bernards gave us such a long list of wonderful materials to review to help us learn more about Chinese literature which I hope to tap into in the future!
During his lecture, one era/writer that really stood out for me was Hu Shui because of what Prof. Bernards explains was Shui’s proposal for a new form of literature. I was very interested in this because he was a writer in the early 1900s and he was proposing to not imitate ancient authors, to not use outdated language, to use vulgar language – basically to be innovative and different from everything that everyone already knows. This way of thinking reminded me of the Beat Generation writers who were influential in American literature. I asked Prof. Bernards if I was correct in making this connection between these writers and he informed me of some interesting facts. For one, he said that writers like Hu Shui were actually being influenced by various western countries at the time, but particularly Russia, and so for them, the new literature was actually a reworking of Russian literature. The Beat writers on the other hand, although they followed many of the principles that seem to be outlined by Hu Shui in free language, vulgar language, stream of consciousness, etc., in actuality, many of the Beats were influenced by classic Chinese literature! I was so surprised by this and found it so interesting! In the end, the east was influenced by the west and eventually, the west was also influenced by the east.
I proposed making the connections between the Beats and Hu Shui; Professor Bernards said it was a possibility, not necessarily in their influences but in their ultimate goals in the literature – similarities in the content of their writing. I think it would be great to expose students to both of styles of literature and doing a compare/contrast of styles while considering each set of writers’ influences.
clay dubeHu Shi is truly a literary giant and a link between China/Taiwan and the US. There's plenty about him on the net.
A long time ago, in a 2nd year Chinese language class, we were asked to read "Mr. More or Less" by Hu Shi. Here's a page that includes the Chinese, the pinyin transliteration, and an English translation of the story. Check it out: http://www.readchinese.net/chabuduoxiansheng
Hu Shi was a principal advocate of using the vernacular, arguing that a living people needed a living language. "Why I write poems in the vernacular?":
http://chinasince1644.cheng-tsui.com/sites/default/files/upload/8-4.pdf
Here's a selection from Columbia on literary reform:
http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/ps/cup/hushi_literary_reform.pdf
clay dubeA short paperback: Miyazaki, China's Examination Hell (translated by Schirokauer). I used to assign it as textbook and there plenty of used copies available.
The great resource on examinations is Ben Elman's encyclopedic studies, available in many libraries (he was one of my professors and had us translate Ming and Qing era exams):
encyclopedia entry on the system http://www.princeton.edu/~elman/documents/Civil%20Service%20Examinations.pdf
encyclopedia entry on the 8 legged exam: http://www.princeton.edu/~elman/documents/Eight-Legged%20Essay.pdf
a book Elman and Woodside produced: http://www.princeton.edu/~elman/documents/Elman%20and%20Woodside%20ed.,Education%20and%20society%20in%20late%20imperial%20China%201600-1900.pdf
Benjamin A. Elman, Civil Examinations and Meritocracy in Late Imperial China
Harvard University Press, 2013.
AnonymousI truly enjoyed Professor Bernards presetation. It was jammed with history, literature and interpretations. Most of the literature he introduced to us is too adult for my 6th graders but in teaching ancient Chinese civilizations I can now see how Chinese literature has evolved. All of the wars, government restrictions, imperial tests had a real influence on the literature. I did enjoy reading [font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Lu Hsün "The New Year's Sacrifice" and The Golden[/font] [font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Cangue. I need to read Sacrifice several more times I think to get all that Professor Bernards pointed out to us. I felt so bad for the women in each story. We have come so far as women's rights and treatment.[/font]
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[font=Times, 'Times New Roman', serif]Thank you Clay for the the post on "Mr. More or Less" I read this from your post and I am going to use this story with my students. The message comes out strong and clear. I will use it on getting assignments in on time.[/font]
AnonymousI find it interesting the effect Eileen Chang has had on young Chinese writers in Taiwan and America. For example, in Su Wei Chen's Ph. D. thesis for The University of Hong Kong, she even talks about the emergence of "Chang fans" and "Chang studies." I wonder what would have been possible had she kept up with her extraordinary works of her youth; her later works are considered slightly disappointing. It is still stunning to me that given such an early career, she has retained a considerable force of inspiration throughout other countries. Her influence has indeed been widespread.
clay dubePlease use this section of the website to talk about the readings assigned by Brian Bernards and the ideas in his presentation.
AnonymousThe writing of Eileen Chang in this story is both poignant and original: "The best of moons is apt to be tinged with sadness." She gives insight into Chinese description and imagery, however, she does this with a Western psychology. Therefore, her story is original in that it blends cultures and blends time periods. For this reason, the story has manifested in 2 versions of a novel as well. I recommend reading it at least 2 times: 1 time for the abundance of imagery characteristic of Chinese literature and 1 time for the glimpses into Western psychology. It truly is a classic piece that is alluded to and emulated by countless others.