A Concise History of Modern Chinese Literature: Textbook for Higher Education Humanities

Author: Tang Tao
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-05-01
Features: This article argues that the study of 20th-century Chinese theater history has long suffered from serious flaws in its objects and methods. Modern and contemporary literary and theatrical histories have ignored the existence, achievements, and influence of local theater, creating a significant rift in the history of Chinese theater. Taking Draft of the History of Modern Chinese Theater as an example, the article points out the "conscious neglect" faced by Gu Opera in 20th-century theatrical and literary histories. The theoretical root of this neglect lies in the one-sided understanding of the modernization process of Chinese theater as merely the introduction and development of spoken drama, treating the distinction between theatrical genres as the distinction of modernity, and excluding local theater from the modernization process. To address this issue, three methodological problems need to be resolved: replacing modern literary history with new literary history, not using theatrical genres as a standard for measuring the value of works, and adopting a national perspective in the concept of literary history. Only in this way can the 20th-century history of Chinese theater become more complete in its objects and more scientific in its methods.