Program Overview

---

University Program Information

Program Overview

The Western Literature Theory program is a professional core course offered by the College of Literature and Journalism at Xiangtan University. This program is designed for students majoring in Chinese Language and Literature.

Program Details

• Program Name: Western Literature Theory
• Course No.: Not specified
• Credit: 3
• Period: 48
• English Name: Western Literature Theory
• Major: Chinese Language and Literature
• Faculty: College of Literature and Journalism
• University: Xiangtan University

Course Introduction

The Western Literature Theory program is a discipline that studies the formation, development, and characteristics of Western literary theory over the past two thousand years, from ancient Greece to the present. It covers Western literary trends, theories, and criticisms, and explores the relationships between literature and social life, works and authors, works and readers, and the internal structure of literary works.

Teaching Methods

The program uses a teaching method that combines teacher lectures with student group activities and discussions.

Course Outline

The course outline includes the following topics:

• Western literary theory research objects
• Development of Western literary theory
• Significance and methods of studying Western literary theory
• Ancient Greek and Roman literary theory
• Medieval literary theory
• Renaissance literary theory
• Neoclassical literary theory
• Enlightenment literary theory
• German classical literary theory
• Romantic literary theory
• Realist literary theory

Course Evaluation

The course evaluation is based on the following criteria:

• Exam results (70%)
• Usual results (30%)

Exam Outline

The exam outline includes the following:

1. Exam Method: Teacher-arranged, unified closed-book exam for the whole class, with a duration of 120 minutes.
2. Exam Standards: Require students to accurately answer the main literary theory ideas of literary theorists and be able to use Marxist theory to comment on literary theorists and their ideas correctly.
3. Score Evaluation: The score is evaluated based on the exam results and usual results.

Learning Guidance

The learning guidance includes the following:

• Learning Requirements:
  1. Understand and master the development trajectory of Western literary theory and the main points of major literary theorists.
  2. Improve the ability to appreciate and evaluate Chinese and foreign literary works using the materialistic historical view.
  3. Understand the experience and laws of Western literary theory and explore the universal problems that may exist.
• Learning Difficulties: Combine the important literary theory schools and main points of each period with the development context of Western literary theory.
• Learning Characteristics: Have a clear problem consciousness and certain critical thinking ability, and be able to use Marxist materialistic historical view and dialectics to evaluate Western literary theory objectively.

Teaching Resources

The teaching resources include the following:

• Course chapter resources
• Teaching plans
• Course materials

Course Schedule

The course schedule includes the following:

1. Week 2:

• Western literary theory research objects
• Development of Western literary theory
• Significance and methods of studying Western literary theory
• Teaching arrangement for the semester

2. Week 3:

• Ancient Greek and Roman literary theory: overview
• Ancient Greek and Roman literary theory (1): Plato's idea theory, imitation theory, and inspiration theory

3. Week 4:

• Ancient Greek and Roman literary theory (2): Aristotle's imitation theory
• Ancient Greek and Roman literary theory (2): brief introduction to ancient Greek tragedy
• Ancient Greek and Roman literary theory (2): Aristotle's tragedy theory

4. Week 5:

• Ancient Greek and Roman literary theory (3): Horace's classical principles
• Ancient Greek and Roman literary theory (3): Longinus' "On the Sublime"
• Ancient Greek and Roman literary theory (4): summary

5. Week 7:

• Medieval literary theory: overview
• Medieval literary theory: St. Augustine
• Medieval literary theory: Thomas Aquinas

6. Weeks 8-9:

• Renaissance literary theory: overview
• Renaissance literary theory: Dante
• Renaissance literary theory: Sidney

7. Week 9:

• Neoclassical literary theory: overview
• Neoclassical literary theory: background of French neoclassical literary theory
• Neoclassical literary theory: Boileau

8. Week 10:

• Enlightenment literary theory: overview
• Enlightenment literary theory: Diderot
• Enlightenment literary theory: Lessing

9. Week 11:

• German classical literary theory: overview
• German classical literary theory: Kant's "Three Critiques"
• German classical literary theory: introduction to Kant's art theory

10. Week 12:

• German classical literary theory: Kant's art theory
• German classical literary theory: Kant's genius theory

11. Weeks 13-14:

• German classical literary theory: Kant's aesthetic judgment
• German classical literary theory: Kant's theory of the sublime

12. Weeks 15-16:

• German classical literary theory: Goethe
• German classical literary theory: Schiller

13. Week 17:

• German classical literary theory: Hegel
• German classical literary theory: Hegel's "Aesthetics"

14. Week 18:

• German classical literary theory: Hegel's tragedy theory
• Romantic literary theory: overview
• Romantic literary theory: Wordsworth and Hugo
• Realist literary theory: overview
• Realist literary theory: Balzac
• Realist literary theory: Belinsky

Instructor Introduction

The instructor for this program is Ji Nian, a deputy professor at Xiangtan University's College of Literature and Journalism.