KSCB082 History of Chinese Drama

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2021
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 4 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
Teacher(s)
Roman Shapiro, PhD (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
Mgr. et Mgr. Dušan Vávra, Ph.D.
Department of Chinese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Mgr. et Mgr. Dušan Vávra, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Chinese Studies – Asia Studies Centre – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 8:00–9:40 VP
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 50 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/50, only registered: 0/50, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/50
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
there are 6 fields of study the course is directly associated with, display
Course objectives
The course covers the history of classical Chinese drama from its roots in the 1st millennium BC to the beginning of the 21st century. It will focus on the key tendencies and movements in Chinese drama within the historical and cultural background. It will also introduce to the students the main authors and works of classical Chinese drama.
Learning outcomes
At the end of the course, students should be able to: • - define the basic outline of Chinese drama from the 1st millennium BC to our time. The emphasis is put on key literary genres, the most prominent literary figures and their writings (in translation) • - identify the role of the national tradition and foreign (Indian, Central Asian) influence in the formation and development of classical Chinese drama • – show the evolution of classical Chinese drama within the historical and cultural context • - discuss the reception of classical Chinese drama in Japan, Korea and the West • - study the regional literary varieties (Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Overseas Chinese)
Syllabus
  • 1. Roots of drama in China: religious and popular rites, court ceremonies, influence of India and other cultures. Traces of drama in ancient sources: Shijing, Qu Yuan etc. Archaic features in extant folk dramas (nuo and other forms). Common features of different kinds of Chinese drama: synthesis of speech and music, importance of dance and acrobatics, costumes and make-up, mixture of vernacular and wenyan, stage dialects. 2. Social, cultural and political processes resulting in the bloom of drama during Yuan dynasty. Development of prosimetrical narrative (说唱). Sources of drama plots: chronicles (‘official’ and ‘unofficial’), Buddhist stories, Tang dynasty stories, prosimetrical narrative. 3. Emergence of the qu genre. Relationship between qu and other poetic genres, particularly ci. The role of qu in drama and qu as a separate poetic work (sanqu). Prominent Qu authors: Yuan Haowen (1190-1257), Guan Hanqing etc. The zaju and chuanqi drama genres. Origins, form and style, influence on the Chinese drama of later periods. 4. Guan Hanqing and his dramas. Discussion of 《窦娥冤》. 5. Bo Pu (1226-1306?), Ma Zhiyuan (1250-1324?) and their dramas. Discussion of 《梧桐雨》and 《汉宫秋》. 6. Wang Shifu (1260-1336?) and 《西厢记》. 7. “The four great southern plays” “四大南戏”: 《荆钗记》，《白兔记》，《拜月亭》， 《杀狗记》. Features: freer form, varied southern tunes, vernacular language, combination of poetic atmosphere with descriptions of everyday life, sympathy with people in desperate circumstances. 8. Gao Ming (1305-1359) and 《琵琶记》. Sophisticated plot, controversial characters, expressive style. 9. Transformation of zaju and chuanqi during Ming and Qing dynasties (jingju, pihuang etc.). Typical zaju subgenres: fantastic, didactic, social and love plots. ‘Narrated drama’ genre. Theories of dramatic art during Ming dynasty (Kunqu opera authors). 10. Tang Xianzu (1550-1616) and his dramas. Discussion of 《牡丹亭》. 11. Kong Shanren (1648-1718). Discussion of 《桃花扇》. Patriotic motives. Hong Sheng (1645-1704). Discussion of 《长生殿》. The acme of chuanqi tradition in music, composition and psychology. 12. International influence of classical Chinese drama: Japan, Korea, the West (Zhao Orphan by Voltaire, originally based on Ji Junxiang’s 《赵氏孤儿》, 13 c.). 13. Contemporary forms of classical drama (regional genres, reconstructions, modernized versions). Classical drama and puppet theatre, film and television.
Literature
  • YE, Tan. Historical Dictionary of Chinese Theater. The Scarecrow Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-8108-5514-4. info
  • Klenoty čínské literatury. Edited by Lucie Olivová - Jan Beran. Vyd. 1. Praha: Portál, 2006, 269 s. ISBN 8073671530. info
  • SHEN, Grant Guangren. Elite Theatre in Ming China, 1368–1644. Routledge, 2005. ISBN 0-415-34326-7. info
  • SIU, Wang-Ngai and Peter LOVRICK. Chinese Opera: Images and Stories. Vancouver: UBC Press, 1997, 239 pp. ISBN 0-7748-0592-7. info
  • RILEY, Jo. Chinese theatre and the actor in performance. 1st pub. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997, xii, 348. ISBN 0521035236. info
  • KALVODOVÁ, Dana. The bamboo-leaf boat : the magic of the Chinese theatre. Praha: Universita Karlova, 1996, 225 s. info
  • COLIN, Mackerras. Chinese Theater: From Its Origins to the Present Day. University of Hawaii Press, 1988. URL info
  • OBRASZOW, Sergei. Theater in China. Berlin: Henschelverlag, 1963, 236 pp. info
Teaching methods (in Czech)
The course is taught online in MS Teams. The course is designed as lectures. Students are required to read literary writings in translation throughout the semester and participate in the discussions. After saying something during a discussion the student should write a summary of the comment in the MS Teams general chat of the course (during the class or on the same day).
Assessment methods (in Czech)
Active participation in class discussions (30%) and a final essay in English (70%, 3 pages, around 8000 characters with spaces) with the student's personal analysis of the content studied in the course.
Language of instruction
English
Further comments (probably available only in Czech)
Study Materials
The course is taught annually.
Teacher's information
The course will be taught by Dr. Roman Shapiro, and conducted in English.
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