The Study Of Suzhou Theatrical Circles In Late Ming Dynasty

Taking Suzhou theatrical circles in Late Ming Dynasty as the research objective, this dissertation aims to make a comprehensive and systematic research of Chuanqi drama and Kunqu performance in Suzhou. In the study, the author tries to investigate the cultural mechanism for the great achievements of Suzhou theatrical circles. Another aim of this dissertation is to find the historical importance of the Suzhou theatrical circles and some natural laws of Chinese drama development.This dissertation consists of eight chapters within two parts.Part I focuses on the development from the closet drama to the stage drama in the Suzhou Chuanqi works. In Chapter 1, the author makes a clear textual criticism to the works and theory of Wujiang School. On the basis of the research on Shenjing and Feng Meng-long, the author holds that Wujiang School, Shenjing and Feng Meng-long are of great importance in the history of Chinese drama. In Chapter 2, the course of great changes is investigated, for example the subjects were extended, the heroine became more and more common, the theme got closer to life, the length of Chuanqi works got shorter, the actor arrangement was more flexible than before, and so on. In Chapter 3, the local cultural connotation in the Chuanqi works is examined, and evidence shows that drama is dependent on the specific locality. In the forth chapter, necessary...