RED BOX= draft

RED BOX= draft

Session Topic & Content

Assignments
Required Session Support Materials (prep before class)
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Other Session Support Materials

Announcements
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Observations, Quizzes, Exams, Paper Process Stages

(Observations and quizzes are usually "pop" or announced on short notice; they are recorded below after they are given or assigned, not prior)

Course Orientation:

Course content & themes, grade system, etc.

Lecture on Method:

Assumptions and method in the comparative analysis of romance

No assignment but attendance very important. If you miss this class, let me know and also make sure to get notes from someone within a day or two of this session.

Establishing foundations for future analysis:

Lectures in traditional East Asian thought-systems and readings in premodern East Asian canonical narrative

East Asian foundation concepts:

• Overview

• Yin-yang

No assignment but attendance very important. If you miss this class, let me know and also make sure to get notes from someone within a day or two of this session.

*The assigned readings for all three canonical texts listed below are long. Consider beginning early.

*Waitlist decisions will be announced Tuesday, Sept 2,

East Asian foundation concepts:

• The first 15 minutes of class will continue Daoist alchemy on obtaining energy through intercourse

• Confucianism

• Buddhism

Tale of Genji

Genji, these chapters:
2) Broom Tree
4) Twilight Beauty
5) Young Murasaki
8) Under the Cherry Blossoms

Tale of Genji

Genji, these chapters:
9) Heart-to-Heart
10) Green Branch
12) Suma
13) Akashi

Canonical text from China:

The 18th c. (Qing dynasty):

The Story of the Stone (Dream of the Red Chamber)

by Cao Xueqin

The Story of the Store (Dream of the Red Chamber) Volume 1, Chapters 1-3 in full and Chapter 4 (73 pages in all) but skim the first few pages of Chapter 4 (up to 121) then read mainly the arrival of Bao-chai, (the daughter of Lady Wang's sister, a sister who arrives with her whole household in tow)

Story of the Stone

Story of the Stone, Volume 1, Chapters 9-17 (142 pages in all)

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Instead of indicating where to read, I have developed a page of amorous subgroups. These are the lines in the story you should follow. Go here: Amorous Subgroups in Story of the Stone, Vol. 1

Some links to resources on Story of the Stone, reviews, chapter summaries, descriptions of various characters (written by previous students), photographs and such are collected onto a single .doc file. There file is: HERE.

Story of the Stone

• Five Elements in Stone

Story of the Stone

• Changing context & Interpretation (love, lust and death)

Story of the Stone, Volume 1, Chapters 22-26 (90 pages in all)

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Canonical text from Korea:

The 17th c. (Choson era):

Cloud Dream of the Nine

by Kim Manjun

First try at comparative analysis using cinema:

Segment One of

the undated but very early narrative
"The Song of the Faithful Wife, Ch'un-hyang"

by various

and

the 2000 film
"Chunhyang"

by IM Kwon-taek

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 1-12
0:00-1:04
elapsed time 1:04

Part 1 of the text is approximately equal to scenes 1-7
Part 2 of the text is in scenes 8 & 9
Part 3 of the text begins with scene 10 and continues to the last seconds of scene 13
Part 4 of the text is the final seconds of scene 13 to the end of the last scene, scene 21

sex and violence info for this film (spoiler alert)

Skim the Introduction that is on bSpace as a pdf titled "Chunhyang01_Intro". Then, read before class, to be ready for discussion before the film is shown (and possible quizzing) this much:

all of Part 1 that is on bSpace as a pdf titled "Chunhyang02_Part01"

and

all of Part 2 and a portion of Part 3, to the sentence: "They pulled her down to the ground of the courtyard." that is on page 18 of the bSpace pdf titled: "Chunhyang03_Part02&3"

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Links:

Basic character list

Namwon City govt site
•
random English site on the city
•
web site on Pansori (the chanting you hear during the film) that includes sound files and comments on characteristics of this type of singing
•
koreanfilm.org on Chunhyang

Segment 2 of

"The Song of the Faithful Wife, Ch'un-hyang"

and

"Chunhyang"

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 13-21
1:04 -1:55
elapsed time 0:51

sex and violence info for this film (spoiler alert)

Read before class, to be ready for discussion before the film is shown (and possible quizzing) this remainder of Part 3 and Part 4 which is on bSpace as a pdf titled "Chunhyang04_Part04"

General Discussion

Romantic Values in Modern East Asian Cinema Intended for International Distribution:

Films from Beijing, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan and Korea

Recent Cinema from China:

"House of Flying Daggers"

imdb
wiki

director: ZHANG Yimou
2004
(first release:
Cannes Film Festival 2004)
Total time, 1:56

Segment One

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 1-16
0:00-1:08
elapsed time 1:08

Would you lie to your lover? Would you like your lover to lie to you? Under what circumstances, if any? Does "true love" include an expectation of near perfect honesty? While watching this film, keep these things in mind and think about:

"the functional and dysfunctional roles of deception in a romantic relationship (in this film and whether you agree or disagree with its position)"

available at Media Center:
DVD 3178

Scene-by-scene plot summary

"House of Flying Daggers"

Segment Two

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 17-28
1:08-1:55
elapsed time 0:47

Recent Cinema from Hong Kong:

"2046"

imdb
wiki
official site

director: WONG Kar Wai
2004
(first release:
Cannes Film Festival 2004)
Total time, 2:04

Segment One

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 1-14
0:00;00-1:03;34
elapsed time 1:03;34

ASSIGNMENT:
take 5-15 minutes to read the plot summary of In the Mood for Love at its wiki site.

Keep this theme in mind while viewing the film:

"Is the type of loose narrative structure in terms of a timeline and the layering of one event upon another that this allows, a particularly Asian phenomena or not. Why or why not? How much impact does a timeline have on how a love relationship is perceived?"

available at Media Center:
DVD 4876

2046 scene-by-scene summary

"2046"

Segment Two

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 15-28
1:03;34-2:05;15
elapsed time 1:01;41

Recent Cinema from Taiwan:

"Three Times"

imdb
wiki

director: HOU Hsiao Hsien
2005
(first release:
Cannes Film Festival 2005)
Total time, 2:06

Segment One
"Kaohsiung 1966"

screening details:
DVD menu Scenes 1-6
0:00;00-0:42;31
elapsed time 42;31

"Three Times"

Segment Two "Dadaocheng 1911"

screening details:
DVD menu Scenes 7-13
0:42;31-1:21:37
elapsed time 39;06

"Three Times"

Segment Three
"Taipei 2005"

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 14-18
1:21;37-2:06;37
elapsed time 45;00

Dolls scene-by-scene summary

Keep this theme in mind while viewing the film:

"Ways of communication between lovers."

Director / actor / painter / professor Kitano Takeshi ("Beat Takeshi"):

imdb bio
wiki bio

available at Media Center:
DVD 5994

"Dolls"

Segment Two

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 12 - 18
1:03;52-1:50;40
elapsed time 0:46;48

Last Day:

Final discussion