The historical tragedy and the human tragedy —the depiction and the discussion of the historical plays during the War of Resistance against Japan

Abstract

This essay aims to analyze the types of the historical plays during the War of Resistance Against Japan, reasons for the prosperity of this particular type of play and the historical background. The focus is put on the success of “the historical plays of uniting the chaotic country” by Guo Moruo, “the historical plays of the national crisis” by Aying and Yao Ke and “the historical plays of the peasant uprisings” by Yang Hansheng. The wartime left-wing writers showed great concern for the country and in their works, there are both the political implication of using the past to satirize the present and the complex humanistic feelings. More importantly, the double tragedies of the history and the humanity in these plays remarkably pushed the development of the art of tragedy in China.

Keywords

the historical plays / the war of resistance / political implication

RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2014 Higher Education Press and Brill