It has frequently been claimed that there is a lack of tragedy in the tradition of Chinese literature.The modern Chinese tragedy is very much the result of influence from the Western theatre.This essay examines Oscar ...It has frequently been claimed that there is a lack of tragedy in the tradition of Chinese literature.The modern Chinese tragedy is very much the result of influence from the Western theatre.This essay examines Oscar Wilde’s tragedy Saloméas an example of the significant role that Western tragedy plays in the constructing of modern tragedy as an independent genre in China.Salomé,regarded as a tragedy in the Greek manner,with its inheritance of the tradition and elements of classical Greek tragedy in terms of setting,plot,morality,ending,and style,has enabled modern Chinese dramatists to establish connections with the tradition of Western tragedy.At the same time,Wilde’s rebellious protagonist has also given modern Chinese dramatists inspiration to retrieve femme fatales from traditional Chinese literature and transfigure them into the New Woman of the postMay Fourth era.With its iconoclastic spirit and aesthetic style,Saloméhas become a trope for Chinese modernity,which is linked closely with the anti-traditional consciousness and the drive to modernize Chinese theatre and literature for the building of a new China.Therefore,it is safe to say that the deep impact of Western tragedy on modern Chinese theatre would not have been possible without the mediation of Wilde’s Salomé,and that this is true especially for modern Chinese tragedy.展开更多
文摘It has frequently been claimed that there is a lack of tragedy in the tradition of Chinese literature.The modern Chinese tragedy is very much the result of influence from the Western theatre.This essay examines Oscar Wilde’s tragedy Saloméas an example of the significant role that Western tragedy plays in the constructing of modern tragedy as an independent genre in China.Salomé,regarded as a tragedy in the Greek manner,with its inheritance of the tradition and elements of classical Greek tragedy in terms of setting,plot,morality,ending,and style,has enabled modern Chinese dramatists to establish connections with the tradition of Western tragedy.At the same time,Wilde’s rebellious protagonist has also given modern Chinese dramatists inspiration to retrieve femme fatales from traditional Chinese literature and transfigure them into the New Woman of the postMay Fourth era.With its iconoclastic spirit and aesthetic style,Saloméhas become a trope for Chinese modernity,which is linked closely with the anti-traditional consciousness and the drive to modernize Chinese theatre and literature for the building of a new China.Therefore,it is safe to say that the deep impact of Western tragedy on modern Chinese theatre would not have been possible without the mediation of Wilde’s Salomé,and that this is true especially for modern Chinese tragedy.
