Assignments

For evaluation and grading criteria, see the section below.

A. Essay Assignments

Essay Assignment 1
In every culture, there is a relatively small set of stories that are told over and over again from generation to generation. Two good examples for such stories in the Chinese tradition are the narratives of Mu-lien (Mulian) and Wu Tzu-hsu (Wu Zixu). In your essay, you are to discuss the main reasons forthe longlasting popularity of these two stories. Consider things such as what kinds of conflicts are featured in these stories, what kind of main characters are protrayed, how these stories are told, and in what ways these stories were supposed to shape the moral outlook of the readers (or listeners).
Follow the Modern Language Association (MLA) format to document your sources. See Diana Hacker's excellent website on questions related to documenation at http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/.

Due Date: Monday, February 6, 2006

Essay Assignment 2
Please write an essay of 4 to 5 pages (double-spaced, 12-point font, 1" side margins) on the following topic:Discuss the image(s) of women in the readings we have done so far. What is the range of women characters represented in these readings? Can you discern a general pattern in the portrayal of female characters? What attitudes toward women are prevalent? How are these attitudes justified (if at all)? Consider class, marital status, or level of education of female characters. Keep also in mind that all texts we have read so far in class were written by men (although some of them, such as the transformation texts and the Western Chamber Romance, were presented in public venues by female performers).
Follow MLA format to document your sources (see http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/ for details).

Due Date: Monday, February 27, 2006

Essay Assignment 3
Please write an essay of 4 to 5 pages (double-spaced, 12-point font, 1" side margins) on one of the two following topics:
Topic 1: Discuss the code of honor of warrior-heroes in Chinese historical novels such as Three Kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh. What does this code honor consist of? What is its origin? In what ways does it influence or even determine characters' intentions, words, and actions? How does the code manifest itself in the novels? When does the code apply and to whom? When and to whom does it not apply? What are some of the competing visions of proper human conduct?
Topic 2: In Three Kingdoms and Outlaws of the Marsh, characters are often depicted in small groups of two or more characters. Examples of such groupings are Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei; Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhuge Liang (Kongming); Liu Bei and Cao Cao; Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu; in Outlaws of the Marsh such groupings include Song Jiang and Li Kui; Song Jiang and Wu Song. In your paper follow the relationship of one of these groupings and discuss how the authors of these two novels use this device to bring the defining features of the individual characters into clearer focus.

Additional material for the pair of Song Jiang and Li Kui include excerpts from Chapters 72 and 73.
Additional material for the pair of Song Jiang and Wu Song include excerpts from Chapters 30 and 31.

Due Date: Monday, April 3, 2006

Essay Assignment 4
Choose one of the following topics:
Topic 1: Use the "Family Instructions" (cf. CP, pp. 17-20) of a family from the late Ming dynasty (late 16th c. - early 17th c.) to discuss the lives of Hsi-men Ch'ing and his women in Plum in a Golden Vase. Assume that these family instructions represent norms according to which conservative, upper-class Chinese of the period would have judged the actions and attitudes of members of their own family as well as those of members of society at large. In what ways do Hsi-men Ch'ing and his wives conform to these norms? In what ways do they breach these norms? Are there any redeeming qualities of Hsi-men and his wives' emphasis on personal fulfillment? Cite specific items from the "Family Instructions" which you see followed or violated by the characters in the novel. Limit yourself to the discussion of 3 to 5 items and show in some detail how the characters conform to or violate these norms. Consider both male and female characters.

Topic 2: Discuss in what ways the novel Plum in the Golden Vase could be used to write a social and cultural history of the late sixteenth century. Choose 3 to 4 aspects that you see well documented in the novel. Provide specific examples for each point, not just listing items but showing why the specific items you chose are significant. On a more theoretical level, reflect on the limitations of using a fictional narrative for the purpose of documenting a social and cultural history of the period. Consider the biases and aims of the author/narrator, the choice of social milieu and characters, etc. What corroborating documents or data would one want to have to correct or supplement what one can learn from the novel?

Your essay should be between 4 and 5 pages long (double-spaced, 12-point font, 1" side margins) and conform to the MLA format. Remember to use simple present tense when summarizing and discussing the story. Shorter quotes should be worked into the main text; longer quotes, however, should be indented and set apart from the main text. In either case, remember that quotes do not speak for themselves; they have to be properly set up and then explicated. The Harvard Writing Center has prepared an excellent series of handouts on the various phases of the writing process (including How to do a Close Reading, Essay Structure, Summary, Transitioning, and Ending the Essay). I strongly urge you to consult these handouts.

Due date: Monday, April 24 , 2006

B. Homework Assignments

Homework Assignment 1
Please provide brief answers to the following questions. Only typed assignments will be accepted.
1. What is the main conflict of the "Wu Tzu-hsu" story? How is this conflict resolved?
2. What are the most outstanding characteristics of Wu Tzu-hsu, the character? What are some expected traits of his character? What characteristics are less expected?
3. How is the story of Wu Tzu-hsu structured? In what way is the structure of this story similar to the Mu-lien story? How might this be related to the way these stories were presented in public?

Due Date: Monday, January 30, 2006

Homework Assignment #2
Use the following description of the demon story to analyze “Eternal Prisoner under the Thunder Peak Pagoda.”

The structure of the demon story has been abstracted as three universal actors and four universal actions. The actors, in their order of appearance, are a young man, unmarried; a demon, that is, an animal spirit or the ghost of a dea person, in the guise of a young girl; and an exorcist, unsualy a Taoist master. The four actions may be labeled Meeting, Lovemaking, Intimation of Danger, and Intercession by the Exorcist. The young man goes out on a sprind day to a resort on the outskirts of the city, meets a beautiful girl, and the make love. At length he realizes she is a threat to his life and call in the help of a Taoist master who makes the girl return to her real form as a ghost or animal spirit and punishes her. In the more complex plots, actions may be repeated several times, particularly the action of Intimation. The “revelation” procedure is in regular use, in which the truth is only gradually revealed to the reader as it is to the hapless young man. The stories are intended to induce suspense.

From: Patrick Hanan, The Chinese Vernacular Story (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1981), p. 44.

Identify the “three universal actors” and provide the specifics for the “four universal actions” in “Eternal Prisoner.” Take note of the fact that “Eternal Prisoner” has a complex plot and that there might be more than one set of “three universal actors” and and more than one sequence of “four universal actions.”

You may present your findings in the form of a table or a simple narrative.

Threee universal actors:
1. a young man
2. demon
3. exorcist

Four universal actions:
1. meeting
2. lovemaking
3. intimation of dangers
4. intercession by the exorcist

Due date: Monday, February 20, 2006

Homework Assignment #3
I would like you to do a short homework assignment in which you compare a passage from Outlaws of the Marsh with a passage which is derived from it in Plum in the Golden Vase. We looked at the Outlwas passage in class earlier this semester, P'an Chin-lien's (Pan Jinlian) attempt to seduce Wu Sung (Wu Song). The passage in Outlaws of the Marsh can be found on pages 183 (To make a long story short, ....) through 185 (.... and left Wu Song fuming in his room.); the corresponding passage in Plum in the Golden Vase can be found on pages 36 (To make a long story short,....) through 40 (... , but she got a good verbal drubbing for her pains). Chose three significant differences between the two texts, explain the importance of these differences as well as how they alter our understanding of the characters. Please be brief and do not write more than one page.

Due Date: Thursday, April 6, 2006.

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Useful Writing Aides
Books on Usage
Weiner, E.S.C., and Andrew Delahunty, comp. The Oxford Guide to English Usage (New York: Oxford UP, 1994).
Sora, Joseph W., ed. Random House Writer's Reference (New York: Random House, 2003).
Heyworth, Gregory, and Rosette Liberman. The Writing and Revision Stylebook (New Haven: Cooper Hill Press, 2000).

Books on the Writing Process
Howard V.A., and J.H. Barton. Thinking on Paper (New York: Quill, 1986).
Kaye, Sanford. Writing under Pressure: The Quick Writing Process (New York: Oxford UP, 1989).

Books on Research and Documentation Styles
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations (Chicago: Chicago UP, 1996).
Hacker, Diana. Research and Documentation in the Electronic Age (Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 1999).
Also available for free on the Internet at: http://www.dianahacker.com/resdoc/

Dictionaries
Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Oxford: Oxford UP, 2000)
Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary (Also available for free at: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/)
Cambridge International Dictionary of English (Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1995)
Longman Advanced American Dictionary (Harlow: Longman, 2001). (Also available for free as Longman Web Dictionary at: http://www.longmanwebdict.com)