#301 Three Kingdoms: History and literature

Three Kingdoms-themed video game (left) and "shanzhai" (山寨) legos (right)
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Today we will focus as much as possible on the “consider” questions from last night, which were:

• What do we learn from the podcast about the historical setting of:
  • The novel during the Three Kingdoms period (三國時代 220–280 CE)?
  • The author’s life in the fourteenth century during the transition from the Yuan (元 1271–1368) to the Ming (明 1368–1644) dynasties?
• What is the relationship, according to these scholars, between the novel and history?
• How has the popularity of the novel been reflected in popular culture over time?

Begin by turning to a partner to review your notes and highlight what you remember from these topics. In addition to sharing information or “answers,” we are also going to try to use these questions to build on other questions.

• Each student should aim to ask one open-ended question in relation to these categories.

Next class we will focus on the interiority of the novel itself, including its plot and a focus on Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮), among its most popular characters.

Map of the Three Kingdoms: