Inscribing Jingju/Peking opera : textualization and performance, authorship and censorship of the "national drama" of China from the late Qing to the present / David L. Rolston.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Rolston, David L., 1952- author.

Series:

Studies in the History of Chinese Texts ; 12.

Studies in the History of Chinese Texts ; 12

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Operas, Chinese--History and criticism--China--Beijing.

Operas, Chinese.

Physical Description:

1 online resource.

Place of Publication:

Leiden, Netherlands ; Boston, Massachusetts : Brill, [2021]

Summary:

What was the most influential mass medium in China before the internet? Jingju (Peking opera)! Although its actors were commonly thought to have been illiterate, written and other inscripted versions of plays became more and more important and varied. This book shows how increasing textualization and the resulting fixation of a performance tradition that once privileged improvisation changed the genre. It traces, from Jingju 's birth in the 19th century to the present, how texts were used for the production and consumption of this important performance genre and the changes in the concepts of authorship, copyright, and performance rights that took place during the process. The state's desire to police what was performed is shown to have been a major factor in these changes. The scope and coverage of the book is already unprecedented, but it is also supplemented by an additional chapter (on where the plays were performed, who performed them, and who went to see them) available for download online.

Contents:

Preliminary Material / David L. Rolston

Copyright page / David L. Rolston

Preface / David L. Rolston

Acknowledgments / David L. Rolston

Introduction What Is Jingju , and Why Should We Care about It? / David L. Rolston

Chapter 1 Jingju Repertoire(s) and Types of Plays and Playscripts / David L. Rolston

Chapter 2 Textualization and Authorship before Xikao (Research into Plays) / David L. Rolston

Chapter 3 The Production of a Mass-Market Collection of Jingju Playscripts: Xikao (Research into Plays) / David L. Rolston

Chapter 4 After Xikao : The Rise of Theater Studies, Copyright, and New Censorship Regimes / David L. Rolston

Chapter 5 New Kinds of Playwrights / David L. Rolston

Chapter 6 New Kinds of Publication / David L. Rolston

Epilogue Living with Textual Fixity / David L. Rolston

Appendix List of Plays in Xikao / David L. Rolston

Bibliography / David L. Rolston

Index / David L. Rolston.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

90-04-46339-9

OCLC:

1242018594

Publisher Number:

10.1163/9789004463394 DOI