Kunqu Opera and Literati Culture

Author: Liu Zhen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-02-01
Features: Kunqu Opera and Literati Culture argues that the essence of theatrical art in the structure of Chinese culture should belong to folk culture. Interestingly, Kunqu Opera, which originated in the cradle of folk culture, gradually evolved into a highly literati-oriented art form with the passage of time. Although literati culture exists in contrast to folk culture, the transformation from folk culture to literati culture still involves a qualitative change to some extent. So, how did Kunqu Opera achieve this transformation? How do its external "elegance" and internal "popularity" achieve harmonious unity? Exploring the connection between Kunqu Opera and literati culture is the main focus of this book. The book is divided into eight chapters. The introduction elaborates on the reasons and starting points for writing this book. Chapters 1 and 2 mainly trace the historical origins of the literati style in Kunqu Opera. Chapter 3 provides a general description of the literati characteristics of Kunqu Opera and the specific manifestations of its literati aesthetics. Chapter 7 focuses on discussing how Kunqu Opera absorbs nourishment from folk culture to achieve harmonious unity between "elegance" and "popularity." In the realm of theatrical art, Kunqu Opera has relatively comprehensively established a new literati culture. The interactive relationship between Kunqu Opera and folk culture is also a very meaningful research topic. It is hoped that this book can serve as a stepping stone for further exploration. Taking the relationship between Kunqu Opera and traditional culture as the starting point, the book discusses from multiple perspectives, making the topic not only novel but also highly valuable.