We read together in translation the entirety of the 120-chapter novel, arguably the most celebrated fiction in Chinese. Students learn about the novel's eighteenth-century context and its publication history. We visit the Yale University Art Gallery to look at and handle objects much like those described in the novel. We also visit the Beinecke to see early copies of the novel. This class is an introduction to Chinese and literary studies.
Enrollment limited to first-year students.
