| In this dissertation, I provide close readings of three early Qing plays by the eminent scholar-poet Wu Weiye (1609–1672). These three plays stand out among the numerous plays written after the fall of the Ming for their thematic unity: they all are set in periods of dynastic transition and focus on the predicaments of select historical personalities who lived through such periods of national crisis. I show how this theme is realized in each of his three plays and discuss the significance of the differences between them. While I draw connections between Wu Weiye's plays and his changing situation between 1644 and 1653, I caution against a too narrowly conceived topical interpretation of his plays. Instead, I argue that his plays, very much like his shi poetry and ci lyric of the same period, are acts of self-fashioning and have to be read as such. I further argue that Wu Weiye' s plays, despite their large debt to the dramatic tradition of the late Ming, transform this tradition into something genuinely new and prepare the ground for the acknowledged master pieces of the late seventeenth century, Hong Sheng's (1645–1704) Palace of Everlasting Life (Changsheng dian), published in 1688, and Kong Shangren's (1648–1718) Peach Blossom Fan, published in 1699.; The dissertation consists of four chapters and a substantial appendix. Chapter 1 provides a brief biographical account of Wu Weiye's life. Chapter 2 discusses Wu Weiye's earliest play, Linchun ge, a variety play (zaju) in four acts, composed between 1645 and 1647. Chapter 3 discusses the Wu Weiye's second play, Tongtian tai, a variety play in two acts written around 1649. Chapter 4 discusses Wu Weiye's last play, Moling chun, a romantic comedy (chuanqi ) in 41 acts which was published in 1653. The appendix contains, among other things, translations of all of Wu Weiye's writing on drama, a translation of Wu Weiye's major autobiographical account as well as an annotated list of all available editions of Wu Weiye's plays. |
