Springtime Passion and Literary Tradition in Peony Pavilion

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Main author: Tan, Tian Yuan
Format: Journal Article           
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id eprints-22337
recordtype eprints
institution SOAS, University of London
collection SOAS Research Online
language English
language_search English
description Mudan ting牡丹亭 (Peony Pavilion), written by Tang Xianzu 湯顯祖(1550-1616) in the late sixteenth century, remains one of the most read and frequently performed Chinese drama nowadays. Best known for its depiction of qing 情 (emotion, passion), the drama is replete with allusions, topoi, and words of love. Building on my earlier work studying Mudan ting as an intertext of love in Passion, Romance, and Qing (Brill, 2014), in this paper I discuss the complex concept of love in the drama, focusing on the terms and concepts of love associated with the meanings of spring. The playwright and his characters repeatedly remind us that love is most complex and difficult to tell or comprehend. If so, how could such emotions and desires be expressed? This paper explores the strong presence and function of Chinese literary tradition in the process of the discovery and communication of the meanings of love in the drama.
format Journal Article
author Tan, Tian Yuan
author_facet Tan, Tian Yuan
authorStr Tan, Tian Yuan
author_letter Tan, Tian Yuan
title Springtime Passion and Literary Tradition in Peony Pavilion
publisher Springer Nature
publishDate 2016
url https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/22337/

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