An Interpretation Of Orientalism In Puccini's Opera Madame Butterfly

"Madame Butterfly" is one of Puccini's world-wide repertoires.It has been written with sincere brushstrokes to tell the unfortunate story of "Qiao Qiao San" who became a geisha,then was introduced to Pinkerton,an US officer in Japan for marriage.However,Pinkerton wasn't sincere;he was just playing with the feelings of Qiao Qiao.Shortly after their marriage,Pinkerton returned to the United States with the navy and married another wife.Qiao Qiao San waited three years with sincerity,Pinkerton finally returned to Japan but he only asked to take their son away,left Qiao Qiao San with a broken heart.She was hopeless and ended her young life by killing herself.The opera,with its sincere emotion and delicate writing,it praised the heroine's nobleness and loyalty.Althought,the research on Madame Butterfly should not be limited to artistic and aesthetic reasons.The tragedy of Qiao Qiao San is not just an example.There is universality in literary works.Edward W.Said is a famous literary theorist and critic.He advocated the theory of post-colonialism in many countries.After World War ?,the transformation from a colony to an autonomous autonomy was not true independence;It was changed from direct colonial ruling of the imperial country to indirect.Most of the countries in Asia,Africa and Latin America are still constrained and manipulated by the United States and Europe in an economically unfairness.Western societies rely more on their hegemonic status to carry out indirect colonial ruling in culture through exporting their ideologies,modes of thinking,and values to the colonial countries.They can achieve influential,infiltrating,and even more controlling interests intangibly.In the expositions and expressions of many books about the East,we can see traces of this phenomenon.We call it "Orientalism".For a long time,Westerners have never ceased to explore with curiosity about the "Oriental" that has many differences from the west.There are endless studies on the society,linguistic and cultural aspects of the Near East,the Middle East,and the Far East,but the description of the East is often negative.What exists as the opposite of the advanced,scientific,and civilized West is often the tragic East."Madame Butterfly" is just a microcosm.This article uses a unique perspective to study the social issues revealed behind classic works of art and it has new thoughts about the appreciation of works of art.The first chapter mainly introduces the research background and the significance of the research.The second chapter introduces the life of Puccini,the author of "Madame Butterfly" and the creative characteristics of the realistic opera he represents.The third chapter is mainly about "Madame Butterfly";it talks about the inspiration of the opera creation and the artistic value of the opera.The fourth chapter mainly analyzes the classical aria and interprets the characters of the opera.Chapter 5 introduces Said and his Orientalism,and points out the main manifestations of Orientalism in Madame Butterfly.