EALL 2210 - Chinese Literature of Reclusion

FDR: Literature (HL)
Credits: 3

This course examines literary works from across the Chinese tradition written by or about people who sought to live a life of seclusion from society. It turns on the central paradox that a repeatable practice of reclusion and a rich literary tradition of recluses writing about themselves and each other came to exist in the first place. Indeed, all recluses—from Confucian hermit-poets in voluntary political exile, to Buddhist monks in pursuit of enlightenment, to Daoist mountain men perfecting techniques for achieving immortality—have sought companions in their quest for perfect solitude. Together with real companions, in the form of those engaged in the same spiritual pursuits, and in the company of virtual companions in the form of the literary works of exemplary recluses of the past and the future readers to whom they addressed their texts, these ancient hermits developed programs for winning truth from solitude that continue to be practiced by contemporary hermits in the mountains of China today. While most of our work will focus on the close reading of literary texts, the course will also have an experiential component: each student will design and implement their own experiment in (short-term) eremitism. All readings will be in English translation. No prior knowledge of the Chinese language, Chinese history, or Chinese literature is required.