Intercultural Aesthetics in Traditional Chinese Theatre

Represents the first book to investigate the transformations in contemporary xiqu 's aesthetics from an intercultural perspectivePromotes Chinese theatre studies by joining it with international discoursesProblematises existing intercultural theories that focus on Western appropriations of the East

Represents the first book to investigate the transformations in contemporary xiqu's aesthetics from an intercultural perspective Promotes Chinese theatre studies by joining it with international discourses Problematises existing intercultural theories that focus on Western appropriations of the East

Autorentext

Wei Feng is an Associate Professor in the School of Foreign Languages and Literature at Shandong University, China. He received his PhD in Drama and Theatre Studies from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.

Klappentext

This book traces the transformation of traditional Chinese theatre s (xiqu) aesthetics during its encounters with Western drama and theatrical forms in both mainland China and Taiwan since 1978. Through analyzing both the text and performances of eight adapted plays from William Shakespeare, Bertolt Brecht, and Samuel Beckett, this book elaborates on significant changes taking place in playwriting, acting, scenography, and stage-audience relations stemming from intercultural appropriation. As exemplified by each chapter, during the intercultural dialogue of Chinese and foreign elements there exists one-sided dominance by either culture, fusion, and hybridity, which corresponds to the various facets of Chinäs pursuit of modernity between its traditional and Western influences.

Inhalt

1. Introduction.- 2. Chapter 1: 'Egotistic' Adaptations of King Lear : Intercultural Playwrights Haunted by Tradition.- 3. Chapter 2: Border-Crossing Chou Actors in Beckettian Jingju.- 4. Chapter 3: Expressionistic Chuanju : Ghosts and Scenography in Lady Macbeth.- 5. Audiences Freed from Illusion?: Brechtian Estrangement and Metatheatricality Displaced in Xiqu.- 6. Conclusion.