CLASSICAL CHINESE LANGUAGE

The course aims at providing the methodological and linguistic tools and the cultural knowledge to study imperial historiographical texts.

Knowledge of the historiography of the Early Medieval period. Experience in reading early medieval historiography and biography.

The course involves knowledge of classical Chinese, because we want to read some chapters of the Hou Han shu 後漢書 in the original. The course is taught in English.

Writing the history of the Later Han dynasty

The Hou Han shu 後漢書 by Fan Ye 范曄 (398-446) is the standard history of the Later Han dynasty (25-220). It was compiled roughly 200 years after the fall of the Han and follows the model of historiography established by Ban Gu and Sima Qian. In the class, we well look at the contents and structure of the Hou Han shu and in particular read excerpts of three chapters in the original language: The collective chapters of recluses, filial exemplars and on exemplary women that each contain about ten biographies. These chapters were innovations in the historiographical genre and provide interesting insights into the early medieval perception of the Han dynasty. Reading them in the original language will give a better idea of the tools and objectives of biographical writings. It will also help getting accustomed to the language of historical works and biography collections, which are important sources for the imperial history. In the course we will attempt to translate the biographies into Italian and English. Participants will prepare portions of the text before class and we will then discuss the translations. We will also read some secondary literature together to gain a better understanding of the context of the biographies.

Hans Bielenstein, “The Restoration of the Han Dynasty with Prolegomena on the Historiography of the Hou Hanshu.” BMFEA 26 (1954), pp. 5–209, 1954.

———. “Wang Mang, the Restoration of the Han Dynasty, and Later Han.” In: Twitchett – Loewe 1986, pp. 223–290, 1986.

Zhong Shulin 钟书林. 1991. Fan Ye zhi renge yu fengge 范晔之人格与风格. Beijing: Zhongguo shehui kexue chubanshe.

Bret Hinsch, „The Textual History of Liu Xiang’s Lienü zhuan“, Monumenta Serica Vol. 52 (2004), pp. 95-112.

Barbara Bisetto, In altre parole: traduzione e riscrittura nell'opera Lienü zhuan yanyi, 2014.

Donald Holzman: „The Place of Filial Piety in Ancient China“, Journal of the American Oriental Society 118.2, 1998, pp. 185-199.

Li Chi, „The Changing Concept of The Recluse in Chinese Literature“, Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies, Vol. 24 (1962 - 1963), pp. 234-247.

Alan J. Berkowitz, „The Moral Hero: A Pattern of Recluson in Traditional China“, Monumenta Serica, Vol. 40 (1992), pp. 1-32

———. „Topos and Entelechy in the Ethos of Reclusion in China“, Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 114, No. 4 (Oct. - Dec., 1994), pp. 632-638.

———. Patterns of Disengagement. The Practice and Portrayal of Reclusion in Early Medieval China. Stanford University Press.

On-cho Ng and Edward Q. Wang, Mirroring the Past - The Writing and Use of History in Imperial China, Honululu, 2005.

Knapp, Keith N., Selfless Offspring - Filial Children and Social Order in Medieval China, Hawaii, 2005.

Written exam, translation from Chinese, interpretation, knowledge of secondary literature...........

The course is taught in presence. Individual and group reading, translation, discussion.

English

written