The Early Modern Vernacular Novel in China and Japan

This seminar invites participants to broaden their Asian Studies and World Literature curricula. It focuses on early modern vernacular literary works from China and Japan that emerged during periods of rapid urbanization and the growth of global commercial markets. We look at two novels: Plum in the Golden Vase (China) and Eight Dogs (Japan), both adaptations of an earlier Chinese novel, Outlaws of the Marsh. By focusing on works that derive from the same source, we explore the circulation of texts, techniques, aesthetics, and the development of vernacular language and culture in two centers of urbanization and commercialization.