Worlds of Modern Chinese Literature: Genre, Gender, Generation

[Marcos Garrido]

I really loved Professor Bernards’ presentation, and his two choices of science fiction novellas, as these might be of interest to my students, especially considering the discrimination taking place in Beijing. I think this novel allows students to compare and contrast the treatement of people in folding Beijing with discrimination in our country, particullarly regarding wealth. Perhaps one of the topics that comes to mind is the recent scandal in which wealthy families were caught buying admission into top universities. I figured that my students would be interested in this kind of material because they are very defensive in nature when they feel that their rights are being violated, and this novel would be a great addition to our classroom. Also, I really liked the novella that Professor Bernards’ brought, “The Wandering Earth”, as it allows us to be exposed to a different genre of chinese literature. I personally find it very interesting, as this is a journey that takes centuries and will have to read the  whole novel and watch the film to better understand it.