Teacher: David Barham
(Read more about his biography here)
Dates for 4 week course:
Sept 9-Oct 4, 2024
Times for Live Sessions: Monday through Thursday, Starting at 9:30am MT (which is 11:30am ET and 8:30am PT). Each live session lasts between 50 and 80 minutes.
Course Description
‘BALZAC AND THE LITTLE CHINESE SEAMSTRESS’ by Dai Sijie – Translated from the french by Ina Rilke.
This course will read the delightful novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress while also studying the historical context of China in the 20th century. Students will appreciate this tale of friendship and young romance while learning about Mao Zedong, the Communist Revolution that led to the formation of the People’s Republic of China in 1949, the Great Leap Forward in 1958, and the Chinese Cultural Revolution of 1966-1976.
The book follows the events in two boys’ lives after they are sent to a rural village near Tibet and assigned to re-education through labor. The two boys fall in love with the Little Seamstress, the daughter of the local tailor and “the region’s reigning beauty”. A novel about youth, love, friendship, and freedom in a politically challenging time.
The book was also made into a film in 2003 which was directed by the author! We will discuss this transition from novel to film, what is gained and what is lost.
