Introduction to Modern Chinese Literature and Culture (202-0-20)
Topic
Taiwanese New Wave Cinema
Instructors
Corey Byrnes
847/467-3314
1880 Campus Drive, Kresge Hall, Office 4-548
Office Hours: Varies quarter to quarter, please check with instructor.
Meeting Info
University Hall 101: Tues, Thurs 9:30AM - 10:50AM
Overview of class
AY 22-23 "New wave" is a ubiquitous but imprecise term that has been applied to various trends in cinema that emerged around the world beginning in the mid-1950s. As an historical term it is used to delineate shared styles, themes, and techniques that define certain national and international film movements. As a kind of descriptive shorthand, it has been applied more broadly to movements that abandoned conventional narrative techniques in favor of experimentation with the cinematic medium, while also confronting social and political problems specific to the context of production. Thus, the inaugural French New Wave has lent its title to film trends in Britain, Iran, Japan, Hong Kong, and many other locations around the world. This course offers a critical and historical introduction to one of these latter-day new waves, the "New Taiwan Cinema," which emerged in the early 1980s as a reaction against contemporaneous commercial cinema. Through a careful investigation of the work of the three most important representatives of this "new" cinema—Hou Hsiao-hsien 侯孝賢, Tsai Ming-Liang 蔡明亮, and Edward Yang 楊德昌—this course will consider not only the experimental form and social consciousness of the Taiwanese New Wave but also the specific economic, social, and institutional structures—national and transnational—that shaped it. We will also study critical and theoretical writings on this cinema to better understand both the Taiwanese cultural milieu that produced it, and the broader global film culture of which it has become such an important part. Whenever possible, we will place individual Taiwanese films in dialogue with the Asian and European film cultures that influenced them as well as the films and filmmakers that they have influenced. There are no prerequisites for this class and no previous knowledge of Chinese or Taiwanese literature, culture, language, or history is assumed.
Learning Objectives
To learn how to use methods of "close viewing," "close reading," and analysis effectively
To acquire a formal vocabulary for discussing and writing about film in general
To develop a more sophisticated understanding of the techniques used in experiments with cinematic form
To develop techniques for writing clearly and effectively about film
To understand the historical, cultural, and economic contexts that shaped Taiwanese filmmaking in the period under discussion
To critically explore the category of "New Wave" and to consider Taiwanese film in its broader global cinematic contexts
Teaching Method
Lecture and Discussion
Evaluation Method
Participation, Attendance, and Preparation: 20% Review Posts: 15% Scene Analysis: 5% Essay 1: 20% Essay 2: 20% Essay 3: 20%
Class Materials (Required)
course reader
Class Attributes
Literature & Fine Arts Distro Area