Classical Chinese Literature B

Course objectives

GENERAL OBJECTIVES: The general objective of the course is to enable students to gain a good level of knowledge of a complex of significant literary texts of the Chinese civilization of specific periods, knowing how to place them in the literary, cultural and historical context. The course will propose the analysis of some texts in the original language, allowing students to correctly evaluate some of their formal characteristics and to contextualize them in the literary landscape of the time. SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: a) Knowledge and understanding: The course will provide knowledge of the development trends of Chinese literature in the period under consideration. It will also promote the critical understanding of the formal and thematic structure of some types of text chosen according to their linguistic level and representativeness; b) Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: upon completion of the course the students will have acquired the ability to place the main authors and the most relevant works of literary history they have studied in the historical and cultural context of reference. Thanks to the analysis of the forms and techniques of literary communication carried out during the course, they will be able to understand the overall structure, contents and style of some types of text. This knowledge will enhance the students' argumentative skills and the ability to apply formal analysis methods to some types of text; c) autonomy of judgment: at the end of the course, on the basis of the theoretical and methodological knowledge acquired, students should have gained the ability to independently collect the data necessary for the historical-literary contextualization of a work. They should also be able to critically examine some types of texts independently, as well as be able to formulate autonomous and motivated judgments in relation to the socio-cultural issues connected to them; d) Communication skills: at the end of the course, students should have achieved the ability to convey contents of classical Chinese literature correctly and clearly; e) Learning skills: the course aims to give students a useful learning ability to access subsequent historical-literary studies with a sufficient degree of autonomy.

Channel 1
FEDERICA CASALIN Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The course offers an overview of Chinese literary production from its origins to the end of the 18th century. It focuses in particular on the development of the main literary genres, which are examined through a selection of works considered to be among the masterpieces of ancient Chinese literature.
Prerequisites
Knowledge of the correct phonetic transcription of Chinese characters in pinyin and a basic knowledge of Chinese history are considered prerequisites. Advanced knowledge of the Chinese language is not required, but having completed at least one year of Chinese language study is an advantage.
Books
1) Bertuccioli, Giuliano. 2013. Letteratura cinese. Roma: L'asino d'oro edizioni (Preface and chapters 1-7). 2) Selection of literary texts provided by the teacher during the course and made available in the classroom environment (code: 7a7ngyro).
Frequency
Attendance is not compulsory but is strongly recommended. Lessons are held in the classroom; the hybrid mode (with simultaneous connection) will be applied only in case this is required by the institution in relation to specific health situations or other circumstances.
Exam mode
During the course, there will be an OPTIONAL MID-TERM TEST. The mid-term test is designed to allow students to self-assess their personal preparation. It will consist of multiple-choice questions. The mid-term test is not compulsory, but it is recommended as an opportunity to check the acquisition of knowledge and skills during the course. The FINAL EXAM consists of multiple-choice questions (written) and open-ended questions (oral). The final mark will take into account: a) the correctness of the quizzes; b) the completeness and correctness of the content of the open-ended (oral) answers; c) presentation and argumentation skills; d) knowledge of the readings done in class; d) the correctness of the presentation in English.
Lesson mode
The course consists of 42 hours of lessons. Lessons are held in person; active participation in class is encouraged, especially during the analysis of literary texts selected by the teacher. To this end, students are asked to carefully read the pages of the text that will be covered in class before each lesson, so that they can actively participate in group discussions. Even students who are unable to attend lessons are encouraged to study progressively by adhering to the activity calendar, and to participate in the mid-term self-assessment (optional).
  • Lesson code10606690
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseOriental languages and civilizations
  • CurriculumLingua cinese
  • Year2nd year
  • Duration12 months
  • SSDL-OR/21
  • CFU6