The Concept Of "Tragedy" In China (1904-1949)

“Tragedy” is a concept introduced from the West in modern China.This paper makes a comprehensive analysis of the acceptance process of the concept of tragedy in China from 1904 to 1949.It aims to present Chinese people's acceptance of the tragedy concept in a comparatively complete way,trying to clarify its rooting and spread in China according to time and theme.This paper is divided into five chapters.The first chapter summarizes the current research on the concept of tragedy and classifies the hot spots of the current academic research.These include the earliest Chinese translation of the word “tragedy” in China,the establishment of the concept of tragedy in China,and the tragic thoughts of Wang Guowei,Lu Xun,Cao Yu and others.The first and second chapters mainly introduce the staged acceptance of the concept of tragedy in China.1904-1920 is the initial stage of accepting the concept,including the establishment of the Chinese translation of “tragedy” in 1904 and its introduction to China.At this stage,Chinese scholars were exposed to western tragic views of Schopenhauer and Goethe,and discussed the nature and resolution of tragedy through the comparison of new dramas and Chinese and Western dramas.1920-1949 is a stage in which Chinese scholars had a further study of the concept of tragedy and western tragic theory.The earliest translation of Aristotle's “Poetics” by Chinese scholars appeared.A number of Chinese scholars interpreted Aristotle's definition of tragedy in their own ways.Many Chinese scholars had conducted in-depth research on concept of tragedy,analyzing the concept of western theories of tragedy while introducing the concept.The third chapter focuses on the localization of tragedy theory in China.From 1904 to 1949,many Chinese scholars thought about the localization of the concept of tragedy based on the status quo of Chinese society and Chinese drama.Lu Xun's definition of tragedy symbolized the beginning of the localization of tragedy concept in China.A tragedy theory with Chinese characteristics,formed during the Anti-Japanese War,endowed tragedy with a new connotation.Chinese scholars,based on the concept of western tragedy,reflected on the phenomenon of the great reunion in Chinese classical literature and dramas,and on the question of whether tragedy existed in China.According to the general acceptance of the “tragedy” concept in China from 1904 to 1949,the fourth chapter concludes that Chinese scholars did not follow blindly the theory of western tragedy in the process of acceptance.From mere introduction to deeper analysis,they constructed the localized concept of tragedy based on Chinese tradition and the times.