Abstract
The sequence of literary form that “poetry of the Tang dynasty, ci-poetry of the Song dynasty and drama of the Yuan dynasty” is often used to advocate the value of Yuan zaju. However, it does not necessarily lead to the assertion that “every time period has its own literature”. In each period of history this assertion conveys different meanings, including the origin, coordination and variation of Yuan zaju, but the value judgements were based on Yuan zaju’s property of verse, considering it as successor of folk-song-styled verse, the exemplary model of dramatic poetry, or the highest level of Chinese poetry. In contrast, Wang Guowei focuses on Yuan zaju’s property of drama and uses the above sequence of literary forms in order to advocate the value of Yuan zaju, and proposes the groundbreaking argument that Yuan zaju can be considered as “literature of its time period”. The argument is rooted in the individual thought of Wang Guowei and the context of his time, and is subsequently developed by later scholars. As a result, the research related to the discourses on Yuan zaju helps solve problems in the history of Chinese literature, theatre and scholarship.
First Page
1
Last Page
12
Recommended Citation
Xu, Dajun. 2021. "How Did Yuan Zaju Become “Literature of Its Time Period”: Revisiting the Idea “Every Time Period Has Its Own Literature”." Theoretical Studies in Literature and Art 41, (5): pp.1-12. https://tsla.researchcommons.org/journal/vol41/iss5/10
