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A topsy-turvy world : short plays and farces from the Ming and Qing dynasties / edited and introduced by Wilt L. Idema, Wai-yee Li, and Stephen H. West.

Van Pelt Library PL2596 .T67 2023
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Format:
Book
Contributor:
Idema, W. L. (Wilt L.), editor, translator.
Li, Wai-yee, editor, translator.
West, Stephen H., editor, translator.
Series:
Translations from the Asian classics
Language:
Chinese
English
Subjects (All):
Chinese drama--Ming dynasty, 1368-1644--Translations into English.
Chinese drama.
Chinese drama--Qing dynasty, 1644-1912--Translations into English.
Physical Description:
xx, 411 pages ; 26 cm.
Place of Publication:
New York : Columbia University Press, [2023]
Summary:
"The high literary Yuan zaju plays and Ming chuanqi plays are well-represented in English translation, but the slightly later short plays (sometimes also called zaju) of the late Ming and early Qing have been long looked down upon and ignored as pedantic closet drama. Research of recent decades has created a quite different image: whereas chuanqi plays tended to strictly conform to genre rules, these short plays offered a space for experimentation, not only in formal aspects, but also in terms of content. Short plays were very much the genre in which Ming literati displayed their daring originality, eccentric personality, and withering criticism of contemporary social conditions, as well as their outrageous wit. A representative selection of these short plays will fill an obvious gap, and the editors see a need for such a volume in courses"-- Provided by publisher.
Contents:
Cracking a dumb Chan riddle
The mad drummer: thrice-played Yuyang
Chan Master Yu has a dream of Cuixiang
Real puppets
Sublime jokes from the back of beyond
Pinning flowers in his coiffure
A song for a laugh
Ramblings with magicians in lyrics and songs
Black and white donkeys
Zaju from the Studio of Singing on the wind: Ma Zhou drinks alone in a Xinfeng wineshop, Duke Jing of Wei substitutes for a dragon and spreads rain
Song of Dragon Well Tea
Appendix: A list of short plays from the period 1400-1850 already available in English translation.
Notes:
Includes bibliographical references.
Other Format:
Online version : Topsy-turvy world
ISBN:
9780231208963
0231208960
9780231208970
0231208979
OCLC:
1376789187
Publisher Number:
99994441271

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