Research On The Folk Dramas In The Early Ming Dynasty

It is stated that the folk dramas in early Ming Dynasty, which are a key in the history of Chinese drama, refer to the drama modes produced by the folk craftsman or the folk literator, performed by the mobile performance team, and enjoyed by the folk audience of lower class in the over 200 years between Hongwu and Longqing. The thesis is divided into four parts:Chapter One is the generality of the folk dramas in the early Ming Dynasty, with the discussion of the historical background of the prosperity of the folk dramas in the early Ming Dynasty as its pivot. The connotation of the folk dramas in the early Ming Dynasty is defined and the statistics of popularity, conservation and loss of the folk dramas in the early Ming Dynasty are collected in this chapter.Chapter Two is the expatiation of the themes of the folk dramas in the early Ming Dynasty and the folk thoughts embodied in them. From the perspective of origin of the themes, the folk dramas in the early Ming Dynasty can be divided into two categories: the adapted dramas and the original dramas, while from the perspective of content of the themes, they can be divided into five categories: history dramas, current affairs dramas, moral dramas, love dramas and mythology dramas. Dramas of all various themes, reflecting the folk thoughts, and the social consciousness of the bottom layer common people with life attitude.Chapter Three is the cultural evaluation of the folk dramas in the early Ming Dynasty. The cultural values of the folk dramas in the early Ming Dynasty are analyzed from both the perspective of "folk narration" and the perspective of "folk stand", showing their position in the history of Chinese culture and drama.Chapter Four is the outline of historical values of the folk dramas in the early Ming Dynasty. With the review of their important role in the two suspense cases in the history of Chinese dramas: "the conversion from Nanxi to Chuanqi" and "the origin of Qingyangqiang", the conclusion that they are a key in the history of Chinese drama is drawn in this chapter.This thesis, which analyzes the cultural and artistic characteristics of the folk dramas in the early Ming Dynasty, not only contributes to the construction of the unique aesthetic system of the folk drama, but also theoretically supports the tendency towards the folk of the current dramas.