Shakespeare, the Sonnet and China

One of PSU's own, Dr. Alexander Huang, recently published (June 2009) a benchmark study on the interpretations and performances of Shakespeare in Chinese over the past two centuries: Chinese Shakespeares (Columbia University Press). Whether you are interested or not in him (and you should be), Shakespeare's reception, influence and transformation as he has traveled through Chinese language, media and performance is something that sheds a great deal of light upon the main topic of this course: What does it means to be Chinese? As a locus classicus of the western world, Shakespeare carries more with him than bawdry witticisms, enduring plots and neologisms. His name embodies the sundry powers the West has exerted upon the world in its cultural and colonial imperialisms. How the Chinese have appropriated him in the modern era fashions its own virtual stage upon which we as critical observers may observe how the Chinese interact with an enduring paradigm of western culture.

In addition to examining the use of Shakespeare in Chinese in the recent past, we will also look briefly at how the western sonnet form was adopted by the Chinese during their New Poetry movement in the 1920's and 1930's. During this period of cultural renewal in China, following the May 4th (1919) watershed moment, the Chinese were looking to borrow and create their own, novel poetic forms that would depart from the traditional shi that had endured and stiffled creativity for millenia. The sonnet's reception and transformation in Chinese during this period is a testament to New Poetry's dedication to forming its own unique, Chinese creation.

Materials:
*The Banquet (2006)

Questions:
(1) Is this Shakespeare or Feng Xiaogang? Why should this question matter?
(2) What does the inclusion of a pseudo-Shakespearean plot add to the re-imagination of Chinese history?
(3) What are the reasons New Poetry intellectuals gave for adopting the sonnet?

Links:
* Shenzhen Daily, Banquet review
* Movie Review Query Engine, Banquet reviews
* Imdb, Banquet reviews

Secondary references:
(1) Huang, Alexander. Chinese Shakespeares: Two Centuries of Cultural Exchange. New York: Columbia UP, 2009.
(2) Zhang Xiaoyang. "Shaju yanchu yu shidai shenmei yishi." Waiguo wenxue yanjiu 3 (1988): 68-74.