On The Aesthetic Modernity Of Modern Chinese Drama

In the view of modernistic theory, selected from the series works in Chinese modernistic drama developing history, some dramas and their authors which are of typical meaning were fully studied in this thesis. The author tried to find the aesthetics realization of esthetic modernity of Chinese spoken drama, and discussed both the Chinese modernistic drama's historical and esthetic value. Further more, the historical trace of prosperity and attenuation of Chinese modernistic dramas was also studied.In fact, the modernistic theories are all ambiguous, when applied in studying the esthetic modernity of Chinese spoken drama, they were combined with the particularity of Chinese spoken drama. Focusing on their common aspect, adding with the author's novel comprehension, this thesis claimed that the elementary composition of esthetic modernity is from the modernistic esthetic anxiety, and the forming of the modernistic esthetic concepts and its category are also related to this. From this point, some unique theoretical ideas were put out. Such as modernistic anxiety and related decadence, sentiment, mystery, cruelty, etc. Deduced from the epitomizing of some esthetic categories of Chinese modernistic drama, the characteristic of esthetic modernity of Chinese spoken drama was defined and a new description and evaluation was made.Hence, some typical Chinese modernistic dramas and their authors, the esthetic realization and esthetic character of esthetic modernity of Chinese spoken drama were fully discussed. For instance, by analyzing Mr. Tian Han and his earlier dramas, the decadent art conception of Tian Han's style was redefined, and the character of esthetic modernity hided in Han's dramas was revealed; By analyzing Chinese female dramatists and their works, the sprouting and developing of the awareness of personality and female liberation during 'the May 4th'era was described; By analyzing the contents and esthetic character of Chinese modernistic mysterious drama, it was found that the depressed, mysterious, gloomy writing attitude reflects the character of the esthetic modernity; By analyzing Cao Yu's composing mentality and his dramas' artistic character, his unique discovery of the general feature of cruel drama was stated. And the deep modernistic meaning is contained in his discovery. In his series works, cruel aesthetics was embodied concretely.The esthetic difference between Chinese and western modernistic drama was discussed in this thesis , and the character of Chinese modernistic drama was highlighted.The subject of esthetic modernity has a forward-pushing effect in the study of Chinese modernistic drama history and it also can be a guidance to the developing of drama in coming days. Both these two fields were paid great attention in this thesis. On the basis of accumulation of numerous historical materials, the historical footprint of the bursting, developing and attenuating of the first Chinese modernistic drama's prospering in the interval from 'the May 4th' era to the beginning of anti Japanese invading war was outlined. From this footprint, not only the accessed art achievements and the practical experiences were generalized, but also an analyzing to the causing of the attenuation, without a fully developing of Chinese modernistic drama was made.