CHES5103 202122T1 20210722.pdf - CHES5103 Selected Themes...

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CHES5103 Selected Themes on Chinese Literature: The Crime Genre
2020-21, Term 2, Fridays, 3:30pm – 6:15pm (WMY304)
Teacher: Prof. King-fai Tam ( [email protected] )
Teaching Assistant: Ms. Mavis SIU ( [email protected] )
This course will study a body of Chinese fictional works with a focus on the depiction of crime in its many
facets: the perpetrator, the victim, the investigator, the commitment of the crime, the investigation, the
punishment, the social and historical settings in which the crime occurs and the material and psychological
circumstances surrounding it. It will adopt a loosely chronological approach, beginning with the treatment
of crime in literature in the premodern period, through various stages in the twentieth century and ending
with the contemporary period. It focuses mainly on the development in the Chinese mainland, but will also
touch upon that in Hong Kong and the other areas of the Sinophone world.
Learning Outcomes
After completing this course, you should:
 Have gained a decent knowledge of the development of the crime genre in modern Chinese
literature
 Be able to carry out an informed discussion on the characteristics of the crime genre
 Be aware of the major critical issues related to the Chinese crime genre
Learning Activities
Class will meet for three hours per week, usually divided into a lecture and a tutorial segment. Students
are expected to finish all the required readings before class. A few weeks in the semester after the