Romance of the Three Kingdoms: An Introduction – Teaching Guide

Vocabulary of Note

• Placard – large, public sign
• Scourge – something that causes great hardship and suffering
• Sanctity – quality of having ultimate value; being sacred
• Ubiquitous – appearing everywhere
• Filial – relationship of child to parent
• Elliptical – having the shape of an ellipse; in writing it refers to being obscure in meaning or using very few words
• Iconic – a symbol that has particular significance; is respected or worshipped
• Iconography – the interpretation of images or things that are “icons,” i.e., that have particular fame or significance
• Optical – related to seeing, sight
• Acoustic – related to sound, hearing

Names – People and Places of Note

• Ming dynasty (1368–1644)
• Cao Cao (Sow–sow) (155–220 CE) – ruler of Wei kingdom (treacherous warlord)
• Sun Quan (Soon Coo-aan) (182–252 CE) – ruler of (Dong) Wu kingdom
• Liu Bei (Lee-o Bay) – ruler of Shu-Han kingdom (also has a
  “courtesy name” of Xuandi (Swan-dee)
• Guan Yu (Gwan-Yoo) – general who serves under Liu Bei (also has a “courtesy name” of Yunchang (Yoon-chaang)
• Zhang Fei (Jaang Fay) – general who serves under Liu Bei (also has a “courtesy name” of Yide (Eeed))

*A courtesy name is a second name given to children when they become adults in China
**Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are the 3 sworn brothers in the novel who take the “oath of the Peach Garden”

Teaching Note: Romance of the Three Kingdoms is a novel built on true historical events and figures active at the end of the great Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) in China, as it disintegrated into rival power blocks and eventually the period of the “Three Kingdoms” (220–265). The stories were passed down through historical records and storytellers’ versions of events and personalities. The novel is both historical fact and fiction. The stories and the main characters remain features of popular Chinese operas and are known to people today all over China.

Outline of Presentation – with [Timecode] & Slide #

Introduction

• One of the greatest works of literature from the pre-modern period in China known as one of the 4 great novels of the Ming dynasty period; they are
  • Romance of the Three Kingdoms
  • Outlaws of the Marsh
  • Journey to the West (“Monkey”)
  • Jin Ping Mei
• Dated from end of 16^th–beginning of 17^th on basis of references and printed copies:
• First extant printed edition – 1622; but preface from 1594
• Visual shown is from 1591, Wanjuan lou edition
• Story, however, attributed to Luo Guanzhong, who lived in the 14^th c
• When is the action set? Historical novel
  • Han dynasty (206 BCE–220 CE) – weakens; China divided
  • Three Kingdoms are prominent (184/200–280 CE)
  • Jin Dynasty emerges (265–420 CE)
• Where?  A Novel of Empire (see maps of 3 Kingdoms)
• What is it about? Who are the main characters? [04:58]
  • Story of three men who swear an oath to be “sworn brothers” and to die together
  • A Novel of Men:
    • Cao Cao (155–220 CE) – ruler of Wei kingdom; becomes a villain
    • Liu Bei (161–223 CE) – benevolent ruler of Shu–Han kingdom
    • Sun Quan (182–252 CE) – ruler of (Dong) Wu kingdom
    • Zhang Fei – general who serves under Liu Bei
    • Guan Yu – general who serves under Liu Bei
      • Slides in PowerPoint depict all the incarnations of Guan, historical, religious icon (“God of War” in Daoism), Japanese Ukiyo-e (woodblock painting); manga; anime; Chinese opera character; The Lost Bladesman movie; character in a novel
    • Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei are the 3 sworn brothers in the novel who participate in the “Oath of the Peach Garden”
• A ubiquitous story [14:00]
  • Regionally: throughout East Asia (China, Korea, Japan, Vietnam) and Europe
  • Media: history, poetry, storytelling, novel, opera, religious iconography, film, comics, video-games, robot action figures, cosplay costuming)
• Complicated story: (names, places, chapters, plots, shifting alliances, historical references) #25

II. Luo Guanzhong’s Three Kingdoms [27:25] #29

Note: timecode and slides out of order for section II

• A novel that is not a novel,
• An author that is not an author
• History/novel/yanyi (dramatization of historical events) 70% fact/30% fabrication #34
• Introduction to the “Novel”:
  • “The story goes that the empire, long divided, must unite, and long united, must divide. This is the inevitable way of things.”
  • History is cyclical; dynasties rise and fall #26
• The Novel that is not really a “Novel” [23:15] #28,
  • At least not in the Western 19^th c sense
  • No psychological depth or character development

III (a). The Oath of the Peace Garden [31:50]

• Participating in the Scene of History #35
• See in Resources: Animated Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cool History Bros YouTube at minute 2–3:26
• What do we See (and Hear)? (in the text) #36
• What do we feel? #37
• Historical Participation (Who’s In?) #41
  • Guan, Zhang, and Liu Bei become sworn brothers

III (b). Elliptic and Iconic Prose [41:27] #44

• Sound not Sight (prose itself is acoustic) #48
• Focus on a Single Object/Man/Action #49
• Repetition as Virtue, not Vice [51:43] #51–52
• Optical Character Recognition [53:20] #54

IV. Poetry as an Escape from the Flow of Time #55

• The Battle of Red Cliff (winter of 208 CE) #59
  • Fate of entire “nations”
  • Armies of million
  • Larger than life heroes
• Remembered through Poetry #60
• Brought to life through Prose #61

Conclusion