Oct. 31 – Nov. 6
Foxes were (and still are) devious creatures in Chinese culture. Both male and female fox spirits or fox fairies are attested in historical records and anecdotes, but it is the female fox that was considered the most dangerous. She would find a human lover, and then exploit his yang energy to balance out her excessive yin energy, and often kill him as a result. So what happens when an innocent man in Tang dynasty Chang’an encounters a fox-fairy? Read the story of “Miss Ren”. There is more material on foxes than I can possibly fit into a single session- late imperial fiction has many stories about foxes, too, and a few good studies.
Unless otherwise noted, all assignments and tasks are due by 11:59PM. I strongly suggest you keep a healthy life-work balance and make sure to get enough sleep. Check the “best-before dates” policy in the syllabus.
| Monday |
- □ Look ahead at the readings and tasks for this week, and plan in when you will do them.
- – This prevents last minute panic, and means you can make the most of our time together in class.
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- □ Feedback on your fellow students’ posts
- – Read through and use Hypothes.is (Group HST107) to comment on your fellow students’ First Post: everybody likes some encouragement! Here is a random selection of three posts. If two or more posts are the same, or one is your own, just refresh the page for a different set. It’s all random, it’s all good!
- * Post 1:
- * Post 2:
- * Post 3:
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| Tuesday |
- □ Prepare before class: Readings
- – Textbook:
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- – Primary source: “Miss Ren, or the Fox Lady” (Renshi zhuan). An Anthology of Translations: Classical Chinese Literature. Vol. 1: From Antiquity to the Tang Dynasty. Edited by John Minford and Joseph S. M. Lau, pp. 1024-1032. New York: Columbia University Press, 2000. (PDF)
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- Reading questions: Miss Ren is a fox- and we, the readers, know from the start. How does the author play with us, with the conventions of story-telling, and with the genre of the anecdote?
- – Secondary source: Kang, Xiaofei, The Cult of the Fox, 14-43. New York: Columbia Univ. Press, 2006. (ebook Trexler) Chapter 1 “Foxes in Early Chinese Tradition”
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- Useful background to trace the evolution of the fox spirit in traditional Chinese thought.
- We can use this text to understand more about the complex set of ideas that makes up fox-lore in premodern China. What makes foxes one of the more successful types of demons? Be sure to trace the argument of the author: what is the point she is trying to make, and what evidence does she provide? How does the image of the fox demon change over the centuries?
- Optional extra: Pu Songling. “Grace and Pine” and “Lotus Fragrance.” In Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, translated by John Minford, 76-86; 211-228. Penguin Classics. London: Penguin, 2006. (PDF).
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- Two well-known stories from one of late Imperial China’s most beloved authors of spooky stories (just in time for the season!) Enjoy!!
- □ Meeting: Ettinger 204, 3.30PM
- – Slides (Gdrive)
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| Wednesday |
- □ Catch up, and/or prepare for Thursday!
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| Thursday |
- □ Prepare before class:
- Now you’ve got a first small section of the textbook squared away, it’s time to eye up a bigger task:
- In the final third of the semester: what looks like a reasonable, realistic goal to achieve? Use the Project and Time management tips to work out what your team can do. Remember to leave some “pockets” of space for requests for assistance that will come from other teams!
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- □ Meeting: Location change: TREXLER B06 (The Hive) 3.30PM
- We were so well behaved we’ve been invited back to the Hive! Good work, team!
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| Friday |
- □ Catch up with any missing tasks or help a fellow student! Check in the Discord chat.
- □ Second reflection: Find all the details on the dedicated webpage.
- Note that the contents/prompts are different each time, so check carefully! The final reflection will be due on Dec. 9.
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| Saturday |
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| Sunday |
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Where to get help:
- Tea Room on Discord:
- open anytime for you
- I will be hosting Tue 2PM-3PM; Wed. 11AM-12PM, or at other times by appointment via Google Calendar. You can also find me in my office during Tea Room times.
- Private room for confidential chat available on request.
- Discord Channel #hst107 and the (anonymous) Padlet (both also useful for chatting, sharing fun stuff)
- DLAs: Digital Learning Assistants: schedule coming soon!
- Writing Center: Sunday-Wednesday: 3:30 – 5:30 pm and 7-11 pm; Thursday: 3:30 – 5:30 pm and 7-9 pm; drop in or make an appointment
- Trexler Library Course Subject Guide: our own dedicated subject guide for the course
- Safety on/around campus: report an incident
