This course will introduce students to the controversial masterpiece of Chinese fiction, Plum in a Golden Vase (Jin Ping Mei). Censored and banned for its explicit sexual content, this sensational narrative—weaving together poems, vernacular songs, and drama—had a profound impact on the development of Chinese literature. Regarded as one of the first major novels anywhere in the world, Plum in a Golden Vase shifts attention away from mythical heroes to examine the everyday exploits and desires of ordinary people. The product of an anonymous author, Plum in a Golden Vase revels in sensory excess (greed, murder, intoxication, and lust) and the vivid details of Chinese urban life.

We will focus on developing skills in close-reading, while using this monumental five-volume work to survey the flourishing cultural world of early modern China. The course will explore how Plum in a Golden Vase reflects and responds to a period of unprecedented upheaval in commerce, philosophy, fashion, and art. Our discussions will situate the novel alongside recent scholarship on gender and sexuality, the body, material culture, and performance. The course will also make extensive use of the collections of the University of Michigan Museum of Art. Students will gain an appreciation of the Chinese novel and its dynamic relationship to the cultural history of early modern China. Along the way, we will reflect on the power of fiction to shock, offend, and ultimately change the way we see ourselves.