A Study Of Contemporary Press Dramatic Criticism From 1872 To 1919

Based on collecting and reading the first-hand materials, this paper conducted a thorough, systematic analysis and study of drama theoretical criticism published in newspapers and magazines from 1872 to 1919. First of all, it examined the developing process, publishing quantity and basic development skeleton of contemporary drama theoretical criticism published by the press; sorted and classified data; and further analyzed the features in its form, content, authors, etc. Contemporary drama theoretical criticism published in newspapers and magazines is not only an important part of dramatic criticism, but also is an integral part of the contemporary culture. This Paper finally breaks through the relationship between contemporary press criticism of drama and mass culture, tries to reveal their verification proof system and the interaction between them, and summaries that contemporary press criticism of drama contains serious theoretical property as well as the public aesthetic tendency.The Introduction sums up the research background of the contemporary press criticism of drama and describes the significance of the topic, ideas and research methods of this paper.The body of the paper is divided into five chapters.Chapter I points out that the press criticism of drama refers to those critical essays on drama theory published by the press, taking review of a play or an opera as its main style. The emergence and development of contemporary magazines is the premise of press dramatic criticism. A large number of literary leisure newspapers, tabloids and newspaper supplement arise as the flourishing garden of dramatic criticism. Criticism of Chinese traditional operas provides the theoretical source for modem press dramatic criticism. The disintegration of traditional social structure promotes the formation of the team of dramatic critics. The expansion of Newspaper circulation and drama audience pushes the press dramatic criticism to a relatively stable and broad audience group. From 1872 to 1919, the press dramatic criticism can be divided into three periods:beginning (1872-1901), development (1902-1911), boom (1912-1919).Contemporary press dramatic criticism is huge in number, diverse in style and rich in content.Chapter Ⅱ surveys comprehensively the stylistic characteristics in contemporary press dramatic criticism. According to different publishing media, press dramatic criticism can be divided into newspaper dramatic criticism 1 and journal dramatic criticismAccording to the stylistics, press dramatic criticism can be roughly divided into six types:"words asana", "critical type", "essays type", " foundations type", "poetic style" and " paper style",,among them, "critical type" is the main form. Language form of the contemporary press dramatic criticism includes the traditional classical form, loose classical Chinese, traditional vernacular, Beijing vernacular and spoken vernacular.Chapter Ⅲ discusses the contents of contemporary press dramatic criticism. Dramatic criticism in press dramatic criticism developed and perfected the traditional drama theory. Dramatic improvement theory is the concept of criticism which agrees with the times. To view Chinese opera with world vision by comparing it with Western drama. New drama criticism reflects the different opinions and doubt at the beginning of contemporary drama."Theatre History" writing and "Biography of Actors" created a path of historical drama theory. The criticisms of theatre groups inspected drama as a kind of comprehensive art. The minor criticism of the theatrical circles can be considered as the fun noise from public criticism.Chapter Ⅳ studies authors of contemporary press dramatic criticism. The development of commercial economy and the change of social structure in late Qing Dynasty causes the intellectual class to integrate and transform from the traditional "Shi" to contemporary intellectuals. Critical writer group includes contemporary journalists, correspondents,professional writers, university teachers and students, actors, politicians, old fogy and ordinary theatre audiences. Paper mainly introduces FengShuLuan, ZhangHouZai, ZhengZhengQiu, ZhouJianYun, XuLingXiao,Shi WuXiong, MuChenGong, those eight drama critics.Chapter Ⅴ discusses the relationship between contemporary press criticism and mass culture. The rise of contemporary mass culture:the interaction between the three-dimensional cultural space of the press, theatre and audience maintained by the press dramatic criticism and commercial culture, entertainment culture and pop culture promotes the development of mass culture. While contemporary press dramatic criticism searches for a serious theoretical proposition, it also embodies the aesthetic trends of contemporary popular culture. The phenomenon of contemporary theater actors "becoming star" is the product of mass culture, coming from the combination of commercial interests of the theatres and the audiences’ demands for entertainment. Contemporary press dramatic criticism not only reflects and speculates on the phenomenon of theater actors "becoming star", it is also its promoter and operator.