The Comparison Of The Artistic Character Between West And Chinese Classical Tragedies

Cultural differences between west and china manifest in many social aspects, and classical tragedies are no exception. Although many forerunners have done a lot of research, the study in this field still has a lot of blank spots one of which is that there is no research on the distinguished artistic characters of these two tragedies from the perspective of different status each in its literary tradition. The thesis starts with this point, adopting a way of parallel study and comparing the aesthetic features of these two tragedies. The author of the thesis thinks that Chinese classical tragedies are marginalized popular literature while west classical tragedies are mainstreamed elegant literature, because of which the two kinds of tragedies manifest distinguished features in origin and development, aesthetic individuality, mentality, etc.The thesis is divided into three chapters.Chapter 1 The comparison of the origin and development of west and Chinese classical tragedies.I. The imperial court and the folk literature-the comparison of the origin West classical tragedies were directly born from the aristocratic literature system of ancient Greece, and prospered with the governmental support, they were regarded as the artistic coronet in west literature. Chinese classical tragedies were suppressed by the mainstream culture from their birth and considered as uneducated art. After long devious gestation, they came into being in South Song Dynasty as civic class and Washe culture prospered, and bloomed in Yuan Dynasty among the bloodiness of the cruelty under alien rule.II. The elegant key and the popular key-the comparison of developmentWest classical tragedies keep the elegant key all the time from ancient Greece to the Renaissance, to the 17th century's Classicalism in French, rejecting the penetration of popular literature. Chinese classical tragedies keep the popular key ever since their birth till the foundation of PRC, mainly representing the plebeian consciousness.Chapter 2 The comparison of aesthetic individuality of west and Chinese classical tragediesI. Elegant and popular-the comparison of dictionThe diction of west tragedies is grand, serious, elegant, and poetic while that of Chinese tragedies emphasizes on simplicity and suitability for both refined and popular tastes with inclination for popular usage.II. Aristocracy and plebeian-the comparison of shaping figuresWest tragedies shape aristocratic protagonists: lofty, dignified, intelligent, strong-willed, looking down upon enemies, keeping dignity and honor even when suffering great failure. Chinese tragedies shape plebeian protagonists: good, puny, unable to fight against enemies, passively accepting disasters. Even the emperors and high officials are instilled with common feelings and consciousness while rejecting their mystery.III. Purification and entertainment-the comparison of function West tragedies aim to purify the audience's minds through dread and pity caused by the failure and destruction of the noble. Chinese tragedies may cause similar feelings, but they put more emphasis on entertainment. Their main aesthetic aim is to make themselves more acceptable for the audience.Chapter 3 the comparison on mentality of west and Chinese tragedies I.West and Chinese classical tragedies in the perspective of the sexual poetics. From the perspective of sex poetics, west tragedies are masculine while Chinese are feminine, which embodies in the mentality of the protagonists, the emphasis of connotation, and the style.II. Masculine and feminine-the comparison of the mentality of protagonists In west tragedies, whether the protagonists are male or female, they manifest tenacity and sturdiness, positively fighting against disaster. Even if they fail, they are still honorable and dignified. In Chinese tragedies, whether the protagonists are male or female, in high or low social status, they manifest femininity, passively accept the disaster. Even if there is a happy-ending, it is resulted from the external influence. III. Rationality and sensibility-the compari...