How do we, as students of early modern Chinese history, make sense of the tragic aspects of Shen Fu’s life? While he tended to attribute his unhappiness to fate, can we look more deeply into his world and come up with a better explanation? Was his unhappiness, for example, the product of conflicting obligations he felt to those in his life? Or was it perhaps the result of tensions he felt between his inner desires and the expectations of society? Or is there some completely different explanation? However you decide to answer this question, be certain to use internal evidence from Six Records (for example, you might compare his marriage to other marriages described in the book). You should also use other assigned readings (for example, A Man Awakened from Dreams may be useful, though it deals with a later time period), as well as material presented in lecture. Remember that assigned readings include not only books you were required to buy, but also materials under the Readings tab on Blackboard. An important note: No use of outside readings or Internet sources is permitted. Please be certain to cite all your sources, using a simple parenthetical system. For example: (Shen Fu, p. 25). Cite lectures by the title of lecture as given on the syllabus.
Your essay will be judged by the extent to which:
You offer a sound and convincing argument;
You demonstrate careful reading of the sources;
You include ideas from lecture and other assigned readings as appropriate;
You craft a well-written and well-constructed essay;
You demonstrate understanding of the history presented thus far in class;
You are able to write a paper that is free of careless errors.
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