Study On Shen Jing’s Opera Theory

As one of the greatest dramatists of Ming Dynasty, Shen Jing’s drama theory effected the drama works in Ming Dynasty and after, and the studies on this topic was fruitful. But still, there are some blank spaces we can keep on studying:firstly, the studies on Shen Jing’s the Scores to Update the Nan Jin Gong and Shi San Diao was too simple because the Scores itself was too hard and complicated to understand, secondly, the studies on Shen Jing’s the Rhyme Works of South Verse and the Rhyme Works of North Verse was biased because these two books was almost vanished. This study summarizes the Shen Jing’s opera theory as the theory of literati’s verses can be performed, based on the comprehensive research of all the Shen Jing’s opera theory works. It was separated into three parts:In chapter one, the study discusses the essences of Shen Jing’s opera theory overall. First, discusses the debate between Tang Xianzu and Shen Jing, put these two greatest dramatists back to Ming Dynasty, restitutes and locates them in the proceeding of literati’s South Verses, and draw the conclusion that Tang changed the literati’s South Verses in diction, and Shen in temperament, they worked each but aimed the same. Second, discusses the methodology of Shen Jing’s opera theory, it requested the literati’s verses to comply with the verse temperament, so these works can be performed. Third, discusses the aesthetics of Shen Jing’s opera theory:BenSe, it requested the literati’s verses to be popular and easy to understand by common audiences, not only the scholars.In chapter two, the study was based on the most important Shen Jing’s opera theory work the Scores to Update the Nan Jiu Gong and Shi San Diao. First of all, this work is not only a score, but also a thesis. Before Shen Jing, Wei Langfu has reformed the South Verse performance to follow the word sound to sing, it made the Verse sounded even pleasant. In the Scores, on one hand, Shen regular the word sound in the South Verse to exert the exclusive of the new performance method, on the other hand, Shen made up the shortcomings of the new performance method in tune, using the GongDiao and old tune of performance method. In this way, Shen perfected the South Verse in parts and overall, help the literati’s South Verses can be performed wonderfully. In chapter three, the study was based on Shen Jing’s two works on rhyme words:the Rhyme Works of South Verse and the Rhyme Works of North Verse. These two books composed respectively for the South Verse and the North Verse, but they shared the same opinions:the literati’s verses should use the rhyme on the Rhyme of Central Plains, not any other rhyme, on the same time the literati’s verses should use the rhyme strictly to guarantee the performance. To protect the unique pronunciation of the South Verse, Shen Jing allowed few Wu rhyme into the South Verse cautiously.