On The Dramatization Of Zhaoshuli's Novel Registration

The present thesis sets to research on the dramatization of Zhao Shuli's novel Registration, which was adapted by many local opera forms between 1952 and 1963 and performed in a large scale, thus was included as one of Zhao's most influential works. By collecting and analyzing the novel and different versions of the local opera scripts, as well as researching on the historical motivation and dramatization course of Registration, the present thesis holds that the dramatization of Registration reflects, on the one hand, the will of the state, and on the other, the complicated relationships between drama scripts, local operas, official ideology and the audience, which had been rather simplified in the past.The present thesis is composed of three parts: the introduction, the body and the conclusion.The introduction part raises the research questions, as well as gives a historical review of the emergency and evolvement of the drama scripts Registration.Chapter One sets to compare the local opera scripts adapted from Registration. Focusing on the Shanghai Opera Rohan Money, this chapter analyzes the artistic factors contributing to the successful adaptation of Registration into Shanghai Opera, in terms of the popularity and flexibility of Shanghai Opera, comparison of the novel version and the drama scripts and the singing tunes combining both tradition and innovation. And in reference to Shanghai Opera, an empirical study is then carried out on the six drama scripts based on Shanghai Opera and on the three drama scripts on Duanmu Hongliang (端木蕻良)'s Pingju Opera scripts, and to analyze the features of different local opera types and the differences between drama scripts in terms of plots, characters and the addition or deletion of librettos.Chapter Two addresses the reasons for the large-scale dramatization of Registration. It explores the dramatic elements of Registration in terms of plot, character relationship and structure of the novel, and indicates that the dramatic feature of the novels is the internal factor for smooth dramatization. The external factor for the repeated dramatizations of Rohan Money, according to the chapter, is that the government built local operas into official ideology and carried out direct political propaganda with Registration to promote the country's first "Marriage Law" and policies like resisting US aggression and aiding Korea as well as industrial and agricultural constructions.Chapter Three addresses the literature situation that the dramatization of Registration brings under the background of modern nation-state. It analyzes the drama reform campaigns after the May 4^th Movement, which is highly correlated with the course of constructing a modern nation-state. After the construction of a strong state power, civilian local operas were integrated into the modem state ideology, and converted from an original spontaneous state into a government-led one, featuring unique and contradictory characteristics.The conclusion summaries the thesis and indicates that the dramatizations of Registration reflect the integration and utilization of local operas by the national government, and how the local operas play a part in the construction of the national mainstream ideology. The repeated adaptations of Registration show how the national government gradually integrated private marriage (private business) into the course of constructing a modern nation-state, which was considered a vital step by the national government. Therefore, the adapted Rohan Money is in fact a complicated ideology mixture, integrated with civilian, official, ethnical, traditional, personal, modern and national factors, which were interacted as well as reflected the unique feature of the cultural phenomenon of a transitional era.