ENG 661: China in Western Minds

Dr. Sufen Lai

This is a course that looks at China as a literary construct.

Beginning with the circulation of The Travels of Marco Polo in the 13^th century Europe, China and its literary personae have since inspired many Western writers and artists. It has served as signifiers for social critique, generated “China fever” and Chinoiserie trend during the Enlightenment and Romantic eras, and continued to be signified as a literary mirror. This course studies literature across various literary periods and genres to examine how China is imagined and encountered in Western literature.