Comparative Study of Chinese and Foreign Drama Poetry (Volumes 1 and 2)

Author: Li Qiang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-09-01
Features: Presented to the readers is an academic monograph that narrates the birth, development, and growth history of a "dramatic poem" – a work that is both ancient and young, serious and lively, imbued with artistic charm and academic value. The theory of the "dramatic poem" was first proposed and elaborated by the ancient Greek aesthetes Plato and Aristotle; it was further argued and developed by Italian cultural scholar Vico, German philosopher Hegel, and Russian literary theorist Belinsky. It was also embraced and promoted by renowned Chinese cultural scholars such as Wang Guowei, Wen Yiduo, Zhang Geng, and Su Guorong. This artistic "precious child," known as either "dramatic poetry" or "poetic drama," has captivated audiences worldwide, across all nations and ethnic groups, throughout history, with its rich diversity and vibrant variety. The literary or artistic culture of the "dramatic poem" is exceptionally broad, encompassing well-known genres such as opera, ballet, musical drama, musical, oratorio, symphonic poem, as well as more familiar forms like classical theater, regional drama, poetic drama, fairy-tale drama, and recitative drama. It even includes the increasingly flourishing poetic film, television drama, TV art, and digital dramatic works.
The theory of the "dramatic poem" includes traditional disciplines such as literary studies, aesthetics, poetics, fu studies, ci studies, qu studies, dramatic studies, and film studies, as well as emerging fields like cultural studies, art studies, comparative literature, semiotics, hermeneutics, and more. This book aims to weave together a comprehensive and panoramic picture of the "dramatic poem" or "poetic drama" in the art and beauty of humanity throughout history, using the theories and artistic practices of "dramatic poem" in China and Eastern and Western countries as the warp, and the lives and works of famous literary and artistic figures worldwide as the weft, creating a cross-disciplinary, interconnected tapestry.
This academic monograph places significant emphasis on the examination and utilization of authoritative theoretical materials on the "dramatic poem" from ancient China, India, Persia, Japan, Greece, Rome, and the Western world, as well as from modern contexts. It also focuses on retrieving and disseminating the latest information on Sino-Western or international artistic exchanges and comparative literature. Particularly noteworthy is the book's exploration of the international challenge of how lyrical and narrative poetry miraculously evolves into dramatic poetry, as well as the mystery of how traditional Chinese culture, with the help of Indian, Persian, and Western "zhu gong tiao" (a form of narrative song and drama), nurtured the "dramatic poem" – the towering tree of Chinese opera. Through empirical research, textual analysis, and comparative studies, the book ultimately arrives at fair and accurate academic conclusions.
Written in a comparative general theoretical style that integrates literary genesis studies, morphology, historical bibliography, criticism, poetics, and aesthetics, this academic monograph strives to present the research achievements of this discipline in a cross-disciplinary, encyclopedic manner. It is organized according to the scientific and standardized conventions of international academic publications, making it available for scholars, experts, and readers with higher education backgrounds who are interested in the development of literary and artistic theories both in China and abroad.