Reflections on Masterpieces of Classical Prose: 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 became even clearer about what to praise and what to oppose. His lecture "The Spirit of Tragedy" reflects his feelings at the time and also reveals his stance. He seemed to be discussing dramatic aesthetics, but in reality, he tightly grasped the reality, launched criticism and condemnation, and explicitly proposed what kind of "spirit of tragedy" was needed during the tough years of the War of Resistance.