[The Innkeeper]

Hello!

It's been a long time, but I thought to drop in and up date everyone. As has been noted in a previous posting, my novel Dream of the Dragon Pool is now in Ebook format at Smashwords and we are applying for Amazon Kindle status.

Also, I am now teaching a course in the Writing Program of Boston University entitled:
Paradox of the Hero/Heroine in East Asian Cinema and Fiction.

Here's the course's catalog description:

Using the Chinese wuxia (“heroic”) fiction genre, we will explore individualism in a cultural region where none was assumed to exist, non-conformity where conformity was assumed to rule, and a sense of equality where Confucian hierarchy was assumed the norm. Tracing the genre’s development across a 2,000-year arc, we will read primary source materials in translation as we consider how heroes reflect their cultures. Secondary readings will help us understand how a culture creates and views its heroes. For the modern era, our primary source materials include selections from Chinese and Japanese martial arts films and Japanese Anime. In our writing we will examine these “wandering heroes” and address the question of why after 2,000 years they attract a global following.

I'm showing seven movies with the readings. Since it is first a course on how to write research papers, I couldn't go too crazy with the movie selections. Looks like it's going to be an interesting class as the students are very good.

The Innkeeper
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The Innkeeper
www.thedragongateinn.com

[JiangNan JianKe]

Excellent news for the genre. Innkeeper keep us posted, take some pictures to share.

[Lioness]

I would like to attend your course

[The Innkeeper]

Thanks!

I don't know if BU would let me post pictures of my students!

As for taking the course, it is really a writing course that has a wuxia topic. The objectives of the course are to learn how to:

• craft substantive, motivated, balanced academic arguments
• write clear, correct, coherent prose
• read with comprehension, critical discernment, and engagement
• plan, draft, and revise efficiently and effectively
• respond productively to the writing of others
• express themselves verbally and converse thoughtfully about complex ideas

So it's not a film criticism course. I'm approaching it as a history course with our "primary source material" being composed of seven movies:

1. Battle of the Warriors (formerly, Battle of Wits)
2. Bride with White Hair
3. Princess Mononoke
4. Swordsman (with Sam Hui)
5. Zatoichi, Festival of Fire
6. Seven Samurai
7. Ashes of Time

That's all I could fit and still meet the teaching goals of this freshman writing course. I'm happy to say that the students are enthusiastic, as is the teacher!

The Innkeeper

PS. My novel, Dream of the Dragon Pool, is NOT required reading and is only on library reserve for the curious :-}
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The Innkeeper
www.thedragongateinn.com

[jeannie_lin]

The course topics sound very intriguing. I'd love to hear those class discussions.

I've heard of other wuxia literature classes at universities before. Unfortunately none at the university I went to.
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Website: http://jeannielin.com
Blog: Adventures in Romance http://jeannielin.com/blog

[kansteff]

Lucky kids
post a segment on youtube please hehe.

[ChongEr]

Let me ask why the choice of Japanese films when wuxia is specific only to Chinese culture?
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I'm a Wuxia Reporter

[Cesare]

[The Innkeeper]

Hello Everyone,

In response to ChongEr's perceptive question, Cesare has the answer - it is the East Asian tradition, and Chinese wuxia and Japanese swordsmen/women do share some aspects of the East Asian heroic tradition. The anime piece was to continue our look at the female role in these traditions - with Bride with White Hair being a Chinese take on the female role - while the Swordsman/Zatoichi movies look at both male roles and consider the attitude toward the "physical disadvantaged" - in Zatoichi's case, the blind - in these heroic traditions. With Seven Samurai and Ashes of Time being the Japanese/Chinese artistic take on these traditions. I also use these two films to consider how these traditions question their own traditions.

Naturally, there are many more movies that could be chosen and I'd love to have suggestion with reasons for the choice (college course!). There might be a continuation of the course next semester when the students will be looking after their own secondary sources as a further development of their research skills; first semester, I give them all the primary and secondary sources, but I will still be choosing the films as "primary source materials" i.e., the way the Chinese/Japanese see their own traditions. Someday, it would be great to expand it include the Korean tradition.

Thanks for everyone's interest!

The Innkeeper
_________________
The Innkeeper
www.thedragongateinn.com

[YiTianJian]

I'm glad to see you out there promoting the wuxia genre into the young American graduates, let them expand their knowledge about this part of the Chinese culture. May you also please introduce them to wuxiasociety when the or the opportunity exist ?

[The Innkeeper]

Hello,

YiTianJian - thanks for your comments. My students now all have the URL for Wuxiahui.com. Hopefully, they will take advantage of the rich resources on this site.

Also, I now have, thanks to my film maker son, a teaser video for my novel, Dream of the Dragon Pool.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQljDoe43BA

Enjoy!

The Innkeeper
_________________
The Innkeeper
www.thedragongateinn.com

[ronempress]

I wish I could take this class! Maybe we could start an informal Wuxia online study.
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Author of Mourn Their Courage: An Adaptation of Romance of the Three Kingdoms
http://ronempress.blogspot.com
http://sites.google.com/site/glenandvictoriadixon/home/mourn-their-courage-1