Li Yu's Integrated Drama Theory And Its Theoretical Studies

Li Yu is a drama theorist, writer and activist in Qing Dynasty. His dramatic theories reached the summit in Chinese classic drama theory. Studies concerning his drama theories are the core among Li Yu's research. The dissertation discusses the causes about his integrated drama conception from the perspective of the history of Chinese classic drama development and Li Yu's own experience, in order to show features of his theory and conduct a general study of his drama theory with respect to the process of drama activity. The dissertation composes four chapters:Chapter one discusses the formation of Li Yu's integrated drama concept and its fundamental characteristics. It is known that rhyme-based poetic drama theories dominated the Chinese traditional art forms. After mid-Ming dynasty, with the development of drama art and theories, the tendency of "Performance-Detachment" was becoming serious. During Wan Li year of Ming dynasty, the debate between school of Lin Chuan, represented by Tang, Xianzu, and the school of Wu Jiang, led by Shen Jing, was influential. The period after this debate and the Chinese classic drama theoretic history before Li Yu was a phase, to some degree, of rhyme-based drama theory and "Performance-Detachment". Both theories neglected the unique quality of drama art, which made drama deviate from its normal development. Li Yu's years involvement in drama activity made him perceive the 'valuable experience of performance by actors' and keep an eye on drama art multi-dimensionally, and constructed his integrated drama theory. He proposed "write play for performance" and "play for public through actors' voices" based on his own experience of creation and inheritance and criticism of former theories. His integrated drama theory centered on "stage performance" enabled drama art to become synthesized construction by theorists as a comprehensive art.Chapter two is Li Yu's theory of drama play script. He regards play script text as the component part of creation in the whole drama art. Though his explanations of structure, language, rhyme, subject matter and plot had a hereditary relation with the formers, his perspective of argumentation and the depth of his theory are totally different. Among them, "structure first" emphasizes considering the whole artistic outline from the very beginning. Linguistic theory is fresh from the distinction between "formality" and "elegance", putting forward "one emphasis, one refrains and three focuses", i.e., to emphasize conciseness, refrain from affectation and focus on interest, actors' lines and funny wordings. In terms of rhyme, Li Yu held that language and rhyme, together with text and rhyme, coexist harmoniously. The saying of "another explanation of key issues in rhyme" reflects his concept of rhyme. Subject matter deals with the stage confusion caused by "delusion". The relation between illusion and substance entails the relationship between 'ancient' and 'present'. The theory about plot paraphrases 'queer' into 'new', eluding the confusion about transience.Chapter three studies Li Yu's stage performance theory. First he defines 'stage performance' within framework of Chinese classic drama theory, then the dissertation discusses in detail from three aspects, drawing sources of the main group in drama performance-family troupe company. (1) Li puts emphasis on the choice and adaptation of play script, especially the necessity of transference from "off-stage' text to 'on-stage' text. (2) He attaches importance to the choice and training of actors and realizes the benefit of seeking and employing talents by getting rid of the traditional standard which emphasizes voice and beauty. (3) As for performance time, night performance excels morning one. Furthermore, he investigates the transferable relation of actors' daily life state and performance state.Chapter four studies Li Yu's audience acceptance theory. On one hand, he sensitively found the hierarchy among audience groups, and the importance of meeting their different needs. On the other hand, he attached importance to the role of drama art played upon the audience, emphasizing the dramatic functions of both education and entertainment, which are realized by means of fun. Besides, Li valued the audience' role in drama activity, which is embodied in the judgment by audience and their inner quality.Final chapter concludes with personal opinions about the long-disputed discordance between Li Yu's drama theory and his works. Firstly, His theory and drama works display some sort of deviation, and possess relatively independent quality. Secondly, Li Yu never broke away from the poetic tradition of Chinese classical drama theory, and did not play a guiding role in drama activities because of the socio-cultural background of "Restoring the ancient and respecting the ancient" in Qing Dynasty. Thirdly, the modern value of Li Yu's drama theory lies in its embedded general principles and characteristics of drama art. And meanwhile, the dissertation points out the limitations of Li's theory in terms of lack of thought, contempt for local drama and excessive pursuit for techniques. Li Yu's drama theory has implications for modern drama and film and video fields, and meanwhile, the complicated relation between dramatic theory and works leads us to ponder over how to do well theoretical research in our utilized and commercialized society. Fourthly, , the dissertation makes a comparative study between Li Yu's drama theory and some influential Western viewpoints on drama, and concludes that Li Yu is not only the pride in the Chinese history of drama theory, but also an important member contributing to the world history of drama theory.