About Crescent School's Drama

With the development of Chinese modernization, a special intelligentsia came into being. Since they came from traditional family, and took on systemic Chinese-style education from childhood, Chinese traditional culture affected them profoundly. At the same time, they had studied overseas for many years, so western culture also impacted on their mind deeply. Consequently, when they made much of the traditional culture, they could keep a sober critical ideology. Crescent School just was the delegate of the intelligentsia. In 1920s, a group of authors with common idea gathered together under the help of drama, they established Crescent Bureau. From then on, Crescent School came in sight of people. In the field of drama, Crescent School acquired a good achievement. They launched National Drama Movement, and their scenarios, such as Ding Xilin are A Wasp; Yu Shangyuan's The Turbulence had become the infrequently appearing showpiece in the history of Chinese modern drama. My article's intention is to explore Crescent School's drama on the analogy of their theory of drama and creative works thoroughly.In terms of the theory of drama, Crescent School discovered the tendency of western modern drama, which is non-realism, and the sketch conceptualism of xiqu. They believed that xiqu's sketch conceptualism is similar with non-realism. They found the majesty of Chinese drama that had lost for many years form its birth, and it became their mental sustenance. Based on sketch conceptualism, they wanted to set up National Drama, which was an entirely new drama. They claimed that we should evaluate xiqu all over again objectively, and inherit its fortes, such as sketch conceptualism, stylized form, cadence, and so on. On the other hand, they advised to learn the representative tactics of western drama to amplify expressive force and enrich national drama. Crescent School's dream of National Drama was wonderful, but it could only to be broken, because that they believed artistic elitism, National Drama couldn't succeed without the understanding and countenance of people. Because that the different dramatic factors must collide, for all that Crescent School's motive was great. Additionally, Crescent School's quarry didn't fix in with the requirement of revolution, National Drama could only live in the interstice of times. What is more, there is great distinction between xiqu's sketch conceptualism and western drama's non-realism, although they looked like seemingly, thus pedestal of National Drama is doubtful. Not but that, Crescent School's dream of National Drama was not a harmonious melody in that era, it had far-reaching influence on Chinese modern drama.In addition, with the expounding of National Drama, Crescent School's ontology of drama betrayed them. Inheriting the spirit conception of Chinese classical literary criticism, and assimilating Schiller's Play Assumption, they formed their standpoint. They deemed that drama should be derived from the vitality of human. It was an extra-utilitarian art. Its value was to achieve beauty and reveal verity of mind. It made the dying life to come back to life. Furthermore Crescent School abstracted a theory of drama's nature form purred-art. They believed that drama's essence was a special artistic modality; its target was to achieve the purred-form. Both artistic modality and purred-form were significant forms. They weren't only the medium to realize beauty, but also a sort of beautiful art per se. Crescent School'ssearch in fields of the theory of drama was outstanding then. They touched ground, arrived at the stature of aesthetics and upgraded the primeval construction of Chinese modern dramatic theory. To some content, they were a group of important torchbearers in the history of Chinese modern drama.In the matter of, Crescent School had a party of works that went around. In a word, the topic of Crescent School's plays was made up of two factors. One was to pile on the tender feeling of the world; the other was to express their lonely sentiment of gentleman. Usually Crescent School's plays rooted in the daily life. In general, they caught the brilliance of humanity. They believed in love and freedom. Stainless love, friendly feelings of relatives, sincere friendship, and beautiful nostalgia were their theme. They criticized knaveries and celebrate goodness. They wanted to clear up the conflictions and hatred through freedom and love. Thus they brought a little aroma to drama, which had been oppressed by some doctrine deeply for dozens of years. On the side, Crescent School always played gymnastics that was to hammer-harden their emotions. When they played it; an unexplainable loneliness betrayed them. In the field of structure, Crescent School frequently installed an outsider. They didn't tamper the plot of a play they were authors' spokesman purely. We could feel weak gloom and peering solitude, which was belonged to authors. This kind of sentiment also lied in their stagy language.Crescent School's plays were full of artistic magnetism, just because that dramatic frameworks and languages were successful. In terms of structure, Crescent School usually adopted two the Three Persons and Two Group Formula and Outsider Formula, the same structures weren't only imbued with histrionic, but also led to unanimous aesthetic temperament and interest, which was non-irony and non-dispute. Moreover, their dramatic language was lively, they endued them with life. At this rate Crescent School's stagy language bounded in individuation. In these aspects, Crescent School transcended Guo Moruo and Tian Han, who ware the most famous playwrights, in that times.Looking back on the past, some was sorry for Crescent School's drama. As far as the appearances went, it was true. But we should not take a superficial view of the matter. It conformed to the trend of the times that Crescent School's drama emerged in that time. As a party of social superstructure, art should be responsible for the progress of society. One day, drama was brought into social revolution; it might lose its inherent quality. But when art got a breathing spell, it must return to the original shape. The special cultural background caused them not participate the realistic struggles so they could treat drama subjectively without in influence of reality. They could know the needs of drama, which lived in the crevice of two times of warfare. History called them and leaved them too. This was a tragedy for Crescent School, for drama, and for history. In a word, Crescent School's drama was unsuccessful, but its achievements couldn't be written off. It had been proved that Crescent School's drama became the direction of Chinese modern drama, even though it was last briefly in history.