Cao Yu -- The Spirit of Tragedy

Author: Cao Yu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: "The Spirit of Tragedy" is a lecture delivered by the author in Chongqing. At that time, the Nationalist Party's hardliners were doing everything they could to disrupt the progressive literary movement. In those dark days filled with deception and oppression, the author felt more anger and indignation. Faced with the outrageous reality, he remained as passionate and profound in his thoughts as ever, and also became clearer about what to praise and what to oppose. His lecture "The Spirit of Tragedy" represents his feelings at that time and also indicates his attitude. He seemed to be speaking about theatrical aesthetics, but in reality, he tightly grasped the reality, engaging in criticism and condemnation, explicitly proposing what kind of "spirit of tragedy" was needed in those tough years of the War of Resistance.