Approaches to Teaching the Plum in the Golden Vase (the Golden Lotus)Andrew SchonebaumLabel: Modern Language Association of AmericaDescription: The Plum in the Golden Vase (also known as The Golden Lotus) was published in the early seventeenth century and may be the first long work of Chinese fiction written by a single (though anonymous) author. Featuring both complex structural features and psychological and emotional realism the novel centers on the rich merchant Ximen Qing and his household and describes the physical surroundings and material objects of a Ming Dynasty city. In part a social political and moral critique the novel reflects on hierarchical power relations of family and state and the materialism of life at the time.The essays in this volume provide ideas for teaching the novel from a variety of approaches from questions of genre intertextuality and the novel's reception to material culture family and social dynamics and power structures in sexual relations. Insights into the novel's representation of Buddhism Chinese folk religion legal culture class slavery and obscenity are offered throughout the volume.
