1
Wed
Aug
26

Orientation

Course content & themes, grading system, student information card, etc.

REQUIRED FOR CLASS:

Attendance. *Please arrive on time or early. This is a very busy class session.

2 student information cards, to be completed during class. (Enrollment is not possible until both of these cards are filled out.)

Trial comparative analysis (Part A): an 18th c. Korean story and 21st c. Korean film: Chunhyang

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

by various (widely retold tale)
17th-18th century, set in the 1600s

REQUIRED BEFORE CLASS:

Read:

• "The Song of the Faithful Wife" Introduction and Part 1 found in two pdfs: Chunhyang01 and Chunhyang02 [bSpace, PDF]

Quiz on "Song of the Faithful Wife" (Chunhyang)

*Quiz begins promptly at the start of class, so arrive on time

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

REQUIRED BEFORE CLASS:

Read:

• "The Song of the Faithful Wife" Parts 2-4 found in two pdfs: Chunhyang03 and Chunhyang04 [bSpace, PDF]

QUIZ ON "SONG OF THE FAITHFUL WIFE" (CHUNHYANG)

Details

East Asian traditional views of love and desire (1 of 3)

Confucianism

Trial comparative analysis (Part B): an 18th c. Korean story and 21st c. Korean film: Chunhyang

"Chunhyang"

director: IM Kwon-taek
2000
running time: 2:00

screening details:
DVD menus scenes 1-7
0:00:00-0:39:00
elapsed time 0:39 min

REQUIRED:

It is essential that this movie is viewed in full.

The entire film is screened in class. If you have missed a class session, the movie is available as follows:

Media Resources Center:
DVD 1506

East Asia Media Center:
PN1997.C4792 2006 (but a Region 3 disc)

East Asian Media Center: PN1997.C479 2000 (VHS, and probably not subtitled?)

NOTE: "Master Lee" in the film is the premodern reading's "Young Master Yi Mong-nyong"

Viewing topics for the entire film:

Traditional Korean values exposed to global observation: In terms of narrative content (plot), what choices or strategy has the director employed to appeal to a domestic audience? To an international audience?

Traditional Korean values exposed to global observation, and premodern vs. modern/postmodern influences: In terms of Ch'un-hyang the young woman, how has she been altered in terms of emphasis (or creation or elimination) of specific personal qualities?

Impact of media and its historical context on a romantic narrative: Think of one or two primary differences between the premodern text and the film that are a result of a change in media (pansori chanting and/or literary prose on the one hand and film on the other).

Constraints and influences on a romantic narrative because of differences in audience composition: Think of one or two primary differences between the premodern text and the film that are a result of a "divide", so to speak, between a premodern and modern/post-modern viewing (viewers') context.

SOME RESOURCES:

• imdb for the film
• koreanfilm.org on Chunhyang
• English site on Namwon City
• Pansori (the chanting during the film)--includes sound files and comments on characteristics of this type of singing

"Chunhyang"

screening details:
DVD menus scenes 8-16
39:00-1:23:00
elapsed time 0:44 min

REQUIRED:

It is essential that this movie is viewed in full.

"Chunhyang"

screening details:
DVD menus scenes 17-21
1:23:00-1:55:00
elapsed time 0:32 min plus end credits

REQUIRED:

It is essential that this movie is viewed in full.

Please reread the content of the ppt is presented in class for this session. It can be found on bSpace, inside a folder called "Method" and it is titled "Method_01_Intro". This is important.

Trial comparative analysis (Part C): an 18th c. Korean story and 21st c. Korean film: Chunhyang

Discussion

REQUIRED FOR CLASS:

Attendance.

East/West comparative analysis of romantic narratives:

some common misleading assumptions

some Western romantic ideals

the status of the sublime within narratives meant for "popular" audiences

body and culture

*most of the above topics are approached through a discussion of the medieval European love story "Tristan and Isold" and Richard Wagner's opera based on that story.

REQUIRED FOR CLASS:

Attendance BUT read this special note:

This session begins with a screening of a film segment (titled "Liebestod" = 'liebe' is love and 'tod' is death) from "Aria" (1987, imdb). This segment, directed by Franc Roddam, has nudity, graphic sex, and disturbing images and though it has no official rating that I am aware of, it falls, in my opinion, definitely in the NC-17 category. This is NOT required viewing. It is based on the final, and very famous, aria of Richard Wagner's opera, "Tristan und Isolde" (mid-19th c. Germany) and we use it to talk about how ambiguous "traditional values" can become in film. Is this segment in bad taste? Is it low art that distorts Wagner's aesthetic assertions on love & death? Is it brave and brilliant, or a disaster? We will spend a part of the session considering this. The remainder of the lecture follows the topics listed to the left. I think this is an interesting example, but it probably isn't for everyone, and I have no concerns whatsoever about students who elect to arrive after this screening or leave during the screening (sit near the door please). It will not be used in quizzes or tests, or be expected knowledge in any other way in the class. I will finish screening "Leibestod" 10 minutes after the start of class. If you have elected to skip this, please wait in the hallway until then. I will come out, or send a student out, to indicate the we are finished and moving on to the next part of the class.

In preparation for this very dense session, which will have a lot of ideas flying around, it is so very helpful if you do these things:

1. Read the lyrics to the aria (pdf) that will be discussed (even is you skip Franc Roddam's version at the beginning of class). This is the best thing, top priority. It will take you about 5 minutes. Please read it.

2. Read, if you wish, the wiki synopsis of Wagner's take of the widely told legend of Tristan and Isolde. (The recent U.S. version of the tale is so bad, please don't count that as knowing the story if you saw it.) I will give the basics of the story in class, but it is sort of complicated and perhaps some of you have problems following my English. Reading ahead of time could be helpful.

The ulta-short version of the story: a brave and moral man falls passionately in love with a beautiful woman, who is the only one that can heal his heart. Yet they are not fated to be together. And, in the aria we study, she sings of his beauty and her love for him, over his dead body.

3. I will be showing, with comments, two YouTube performances of the aria. I would prefer that you NOT view these ahead of time, but I list them here if you wish to review them or missed class. These are not necessarily stable URLs, but can probably be found elsewhere on YouTube via a search:

Herbert von Karajan [Conductor] - "Mild und leise wie er lächelt" (Isoldes Liebestod): Stereo (Jessye Norman, 6:45)

Wagner - Liebestod Scala 2007 Barenboim (Waltraud Meier, 7:48)

Lecture / Discussion continues

REQUIRED FOR CLASS:

Attendance.

East Asian traditional views of love and desire (2 of 3)

Daoism (in terms of yin-yang energies, cosmic correspondences & the five phases/elements)

REQUIRED FOR CLASS:

Attendance.

East Asian traditional views of love and desire (3 of 3)

Buddhism (in terms of the problem of desire and the status of our everyday world)

REQUIRED FOR CLASS:

Attendance.

Romance & Buddhism in an 11th c. Japanese narrative circulated among aristocratic elite

The Tale of Genji

by Murasaki Shikibu
top-level lady-in-waiting

also,

Kokinshu (Collected Poems Old and New, ca. 905)

Discussion continues on:
The Tale of Genji

REQUIRED BEFORE CLASS:

Read:

• Genji, these chapters: 4) Twilight beauty, 5) Young Murasaki, 8) Under the Cherry Blossoms

Discussion continues on:
The Tale of Genji

REQUIRED BEFORE CLASS:

Read:

• Genji, these chapters: 9) Heart-to-Heart, 10) Green Branch

Due at 12 noon on this day: OA01, Tale of Genji.

instructions
assignment tag: genji

No credit if submitted late, because the content of the question will be discussed in class.

Discussion continues on:
The Tale of Genji

Test on Buddhism and The Tale of Genji

Test 01 on Buddhism and The Tale of Genji

Details.

Romance & Daoism in an 18th c. Chinese narrative widely read by an urban, educated audience

The Story of the Stone

by Cao Xueqin, member of a family once very wealthy

Discussion continues on:
The Story of the Stone

Discussion continues on:
The Story of the Stone

Discussion continues on:
The Story of the Stone

DUE at 1AM on this day: Paper, Step 01

Discussion continues on:
The Story of the Stone

Discussion continues on:
The Story of the Stone

Test on Daoism and The Story of the Stone

Romance & Confucianism in a 17th c. Chinese/Korean narrative written primarily for the educated elite

Cloud Dream of the Nine

by KIM Manjun

DUE at 1AM on this day: Paper, Step 02

Discussion continues on:
Cloud Dream of the Nine

REQUIRED BEFORE CLASS:

Read:

• Chapters 6-10

Discussion continues on:
Cloud Dream of the Nine

Test on Confucianism and Cloud Dream of the Nine

Recent cinema from China (Beijing)

"House of Flying Daggers"

Segment 1

director: ZHANG Yimou
first release:
Cannes Film Festival 2004
Running time: 1:56

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 1-7
0:00-0:25;43
elapsed time 0:26

REQUIRED DURING CLASS:

While viewing the film, think of this topic:

The functional and dysfunctional roles of deception in a romantic relationship.

RESOURCES:

scene summaries written by Wallace: here

imdb | wiki

film at Media Center (Moffitt): DVD 3178

"House of Flying Daggers"

Segment 2

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 8-14
0:25;43-0:56;26
elapsed time 0:32

"House of Flying Daggers"

Segment 3

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 15-21
0:56;26-1:27;37
elapsed time 0:32

"House of Flying Daggers"

Segment 4

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 22-28
1:27;37-1:53;35, the 5 minutes credits
elapsed time 0:25 / 0:30

DUE at 1AM on this day: Paper, Step 03

Recent Cinema from China (Hong Kong)

"2046"

Segment 1

director: WONG Kar Wai
first release:
Cannes Film Festival 2004
Running time: 2:04

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 1-7
0:00;00-0:34;00
elapsed time 0:34;00

"2046"

Segment 2

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 8-14
0:34;00-1:03;34
elapsed time 0:29;34

"2046"

Segment 3

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 15-23
1:03;34-1:36;34
elapsed time 0:33;00

No Class

"2046"

Segment 4

>screening details:
DVD menu scenes 24-28 (and 3 minutes credits)
1:36;34-2:08;00
elapsed time 0:32;06

Recent cinema from China (Taipei):

"Three Times"

Segment 1
"Kaohsiung 1966"

director: HOU Hsiao Hsien
first released:
Cannes Film Festival 2005
running time: 2:06

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

"Three Times"

Segment 2
"Dadaocheng 1911"

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

Class cancelled for safety reasons.

"Three Times"

Segment 3
"Taipei 2005"

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

Recent cinema from Japan (Tokyo):

"Dolls"

Segment 1

director: KITANO Takeshi
first released
Venice Film Festival 2002
running time: 1:56

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 1-7
0:00;00-0:36;33
elapsed time 0:36

NO CLASS

"Dolls"

Segment 2

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 8-13
0:36;33-1:17;42
elapsed time 0:41

"Dolls"

Segment 3

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 14-18
1:17;42-1:50;40
elapsed time 0:33

Recent Cinema from Korea (Seoul)

"3-Iron"

Segment 1

director: KIM Ki-duk
2004
running time 1:25

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 1-10
0:00;00-0:31;06
elapsed time 31;06

Student evaluations

"3-Iron"

Segment 2

screening details:
DVD menu scenes 11-20
0:31;06-1:05;51
elapsed time 34;45

DUE at 1AM on this day: Paper, Step 05

DUE at 1AM on this day: Paper, Step 06