Taught entirely in Chinese in the Australian context, this course trains students in critical analysis and discussion of the most famous classical Chinese novel Hongloumeng and its brilliant English translation The Story of the Stone by David Hawkes and John Minford. Through minute textual analysis this course will explore this Chinese literary classic and its translation from an interdisciplinary perspective, aiming at training students to become more competent bilingual readers. The goal of the course is to engage with literary texts and critical thinking to develop independent research and academic writing skills, meanwhile emphasizing the idea of translation as a dialogue between the original and the translated text, between the translator and his former self, and a learning process both for the translator and the reader of his translation.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Discuss and present on topics of Chinese literature
- Analyse themes in the materials under study and offer critical written responses
- Make critical use of concepts and analytic tools from literary studies to develop, review, and synthesise knowledge about Chinese literature
- Demonstrate an understanding of the differences between Chinese and Western literature and society
- Use the knowledge learned in the course for analyzing and critiquing related materials and drafting a research essay
Indicative Assessment
- Oral Presentation (20) [LO 1,2,3]
- Book Review (30) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Final Essay (2500 words) (40) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
- Quiz (10) [LO 1,2,3,4]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
The workload for this course comprises three contact hours per week. It demands an average of four hours of tutorial preparation, including assigned readings, and review of lectures. The total workload for the course is 130 hours including independent study.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
The Translator's Mirror for the Romantic, Routledge 2022; Bilingual edition of The Story of the Stone, Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press, 2012. Available at Chifley and Menzies Libraries.
Assumed Knowledge
Students must be able to read, write, and speak in modern standard Chinese (Mandarin) to succeed in this course.Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $4320 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $5580 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7965 | 21 Jul 2025 | 28 Jul 2025 | 31 Aug 2025 | 24 Oct 2025 | In Person | N/A |