Literary Motifs in Traditional Chinese Drama
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Literary motifs in traditional Chinese drama Item Type text; Dissertation-Reproduction (electronic) Authors Zhu, Minqi, 1953- Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 25/09/2021 13:28:01 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/290589 INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the tect directly fi'om the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. 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Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Information Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Aibor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 LITERARY MOTIFS IN TRADITIONAL CHINESE DRAMA by Minqi Zhu Copyright © Minqi Zhu 1996 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the DEPARTMENT OF EAST ASIAN STUDIES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 1996 UMI Number: 9706180 Copyright 1996 by Zhu, Minqi All rights reserved. UMI Microfonn 9706180 Copyright 1996, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against wiauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA ® GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Final Examination Committee, we certify that we have Minqi Zhu read the dissertation prepared by_ entitled Literary Motifs in Traditional Chinese Drama and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Ronald Mlao 4/4/1996 Marie Chan "7/4/1996 Date William Lang 4/4/1996 Date Date Date Final approval and acceptance of this dissertation is contingent upon the candidate's submission of the final copy of the dissertation to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this dissertation prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement. Ronald Miao 4/4/1996 Dissertation Director Date 3 STATEMENT BY AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgment of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: 4 TO MY WIFE JIAN WANG AND MY SON ZHENHE ZHU 5 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The author wishes to express his sincere gratitude to Professor Ronald Miao and Professor Marie Chan for their constant encouragement and guidance throughout the completion of this dissertation. Their considerable erudition of Chinese Classical Poetry and Poetics has shed significant light on forming the central idea of this dissertation. Without their enthusiastic support and constructive criticism, the writing of this dissertation would have suffered enormous setbacks and delay. The author has been greatly indebted to Professor Ronald Miao for his extraordinary assistance even though at times his energy expended on the author's behalf has been a drain on his physical being. The great appreciation is also extended to Professor William Land for his eight years of invaluable instruction in the liistory and criticism of Theatre Arts and for his time reviewing the manuscript. From his informative and instructive advice and suggestions the author has gained a good deal of enlightenment for the dissertation, especially in the respect of Western dramatic criticism. Last, but not least, many thanks are due to the faculty of the Department of East Asian Studies and the Department of Theatre Arts, whose efforts have helped the author attain his Doctorate Degree. TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract 7 Preface 8 1. Introduction to Motif 20 2. Musical Conventions in Chinese Traditional Drama 44 3. Development of Chinese Drama with Poetry Tradition 89 4. Dramatic Construction in Traditional Chinese Drama 135 5. Thematic Motifs of Chinese Traditional Drama 175 6. Motifs in Dramatic Movement of Traditional Chinese Drama 214 Conclusion 246 Works Cited 251 7 ABSTRACT The purpose of this dissertation is to examine some of the distinctive qualities of traditional Chinese drama in light of comparative studies in literature and drama, especially of Richard Wagner's theory of motifs. Opposed to realism, Wagner argued that music is necessary to the finest drama, for it should be "distanced" fi-om actual life. Wagner intended to fiise all artistic arts into his "music drama." However such drama has existed in China for at least seven hundred years. Moreover, it still keeps vigorously springing up, and greatly manifesting its vitality. The hypothesis of this dissertation is that traditional Chinese theatre has been able to survive through the historical sediment primarily due to the influence of literary motifs that have sustained the vitality of the old dramatic form. This dissertation is based on the research of three theatrical aspects: drama-in- itself, dramatic creation, and dramatic appreciation. For the area that is called "dramatic- in-itself," it deals with the general function of dramatic presentation, either for the sake of art or for moral education; for dramatic creation, it emphasizes on playwrights and their worldview of dramatic creation; and for dramatic appreciation, it examines the viewpoint of the audience. Traditional Chinese drama is a high synthesis of arts. The chief factors that promoted the formation of this art are the literary motifs resulting fi-om the Chinese cultural tradition. Literary motifs can be traced in almost every aspect of Chinese drama: in dramatic purpose, in language, in music, in acting, in dress-up, and in stage scenery. Every aspect of Chinese drama is marked with Chinese national traits. And all these dramatic elements constitute a complexity that incorporated both representational and presentational qualities. This complexity has turned Chinese drama into a uniquely mixed art, long-lasting and durable. This dissertation will explore how literary motifs work in traditional Chinese drama. It will primarily focus conventions of music composition, poetry tradition, dramatic structure, thematic construction and theatrical movements. 8 Preface Chinese theatre is one of the world's earliest, which has consistently undergone a history of more than seven hundred years and still keeps vigorously springing up, and greatly manifesting its vitality. This old theatre always sees itself as an artistic form derived from a pristine civilization. Its great tradition has lasted for centuries so that many features of its artistic appeal are unique and require our special attention. The most important of all is that the influence of the remote times is still evident in the theatrical happenings of the 1990s; old ways die hard on the stage of Chinese theatre. William H. Sun points out that 'Two things make Chinese theatre unique. Firstly, China's population of close to 1.2 billion as well as about 50 million Chinese descendants outside mainland China (most of whom share the same language) are the largest base for a theatre of any group in the world. Secondly, a largely uninterrupted popular theatrical tradition of at least seven hundred years is ... the strongest and most accessible source any theatre can draw upon."' Moreover, there are about three hundred varieties of regional operas coexisting in today's China^, each differs strikingly from the other in style though, they are largely identical in dramatic essence and heritage. This identicalness of various regional operas in Chinese theatre bears the same source of theatrical tradition which promote the development of the old artistic medium during the contemporary times. Evidently this is a pleasing and inspiring inference for such an old dramatic form to prosper in the present days when other traditional dramatic forms in the world, like the ones of Greece and India, had long faded to historical insignificance. Even the realistic stage of the Europe has now been encountering the dilemma.^ However, we must be on ' William H. Sun, ed. ''Tradition, Innovation and Politics: Chinese and Overseas Chinese Theatre Across the world'^ in The Drama Review, (Summer 1994). p. 15. ^Zhao Meicheng & Li Qi, Zhenjiade aomi 1990. p. 114 ^Traditionally western drama used to be based on the early Greek tragedy which is interpreted by Aristotle as the art of imitation. Aristotle's famous first principle of poetry, and indeed of any art, is that 'krt is an imitation of nature." Thus it laid down the foundation of the realistic theatre in the West.