Can Jackie Chan Teach Students about Classical Chinese Literature? by Sue Angell
Biographical Information: • BA, National Cheng-Kung University, 1990 (language and literature) • MA, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1993 (comparative literature) • PhD, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1999 (comparative literature) Related Links: • The East Asian Studies Program		Jackie Chan's The Legend of Drunken Master plays on the screen behind Assistant Professor of Chinese Hsiu-Chuang Deppman. SEPTEMBER 10, 2003--Assistant Professor of Chinese Hsiu-Chuang Deppman has discovered a unique way to introduce her students to the themes that dominate classical Chinese literature--she encourages them to watch Jackie Chan's films and trace the development of these ideas from page to screen. "The ideas of the knight errant, chivalry, and filial piety are just as important in classical literature as they are in the films that came out of the Hong Kong film movement," Deppman says. "In fact, many of these films are adaptations of old martial arts narratives. Although it might not seem obvious, Kung Fu Cinema has a surprisingly close relationship to classical Chinese literature." A Q&A with Hsiu-Chuang Deppman Research Interests: The Art of Adaptation Topics in Chinese Literature Suggested Reading Getting to Know Oberlin
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