History of Chinese Classical Tragedy

Author: Yang Jianwen
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-09-01
Features: The book discusses a larger number of tragic works than any other tragic treatise, all of which are the result of the author's extensive research. A careful reading will reveal many unfamiliar works, and the exploration of late Qing tragic works is particularly noteworthy. From this perspective, its research value is undeniable. What further demonstrates the author's profound insights is the meticulous analysis of numerous academic issues. For example, he refutes the views that "religion and tragedy are contradictory" and that "religion leads tragedy to decline." In Chapter 4, when analyzing The Story of Zhang Xie and Wang Shenghua, he convincingly challenges the perspectives of Zhou Yibo and Qian Nanyang. In Chapter 5, his critiques of the Yuan Dynasty's "Four Great Tragedies" (The Boatman Descends from the River, The East Window Incident, and The Dream of the Red Robe), the creation of "hardship" in Yuan tragic works, the comparison of Chinese and Western tragic theories, and his interpretation of the "three pressures," "three rejections," and "three refusals" in The Pipa Opera all offer fresh insights, refreshing the reader's perspective. In Chapter 6, his characterization of The Peony Pavilion is particularly persuasive.
In the spring and summer of 1980, when we discussed the top ten classical Chinese tragic and comedic works in Guangzhou, we invited three distinguished scholars—Zhang Geng, Guo Hancheng, and Yu Lin—to participate. During the discussion, the debate over the classification of The Peony Pavilion as a tragedy or comedy was particularly intense. Scholars led by Mr. Guo Hancheng strongly advocated for the comedic classification, while those led by Mr. Ji Si argued for the tragic classification. Since both Mr. Guo Hancheng and Mr. Ji Si were renowned authorities and senior figures in the field of theatrical studies, it was deemed inappropriate for a junior scholar to arbitrate. As a result, The Peony Pavilion was not included in either the tragedy or comedy collections, though a brief explanation was provided in the postscript of the tragedy collection. Later, Mr. Guo Hancheng classified it as a tragicomedy and included it in his edited The Top Ten Classical Chinese Tragicomedies (published by Shanghai Literature and Art Press in 1989), with nearly a thousand words of discussion and explanation in the preface.
Jianwen, however, classified it as a tragedy. Although Mr. Ji Si had previously spoken in favor of this classification, and Zhao Jingshen had written an article titled "The Peony Pavilion Is a Tragedy" (Theories of Classical Chinese Tragicomedies, Shanghai Literature and Art Press, 1983), Jianwen classified it as a "love tragedy," focusing on the tragic tone of the protagonist, Du Liying. While the play does contain comedic elements, Jianwen attributes this to the conventional "comic interludes" and the tendency toward happy endings in classical Chinese opera. He cites Mao Ying's words: "To die in a dream, to shed tears of deep emotion; to be reborn from death, to instantly break the sorrow." Jianwen argues that Tang Xianzu maintained a consistent grasp of the play's tragic essence and had a profound understanding of it.