Springtime Passion and Literary Tradition in Peony Pavilion

Tan, Tian Yuan

Abstract

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.

Citation

Tan, T. Y. (2016). Springtime Passion and Literary Tradition in Peony Pavilion. International Communication of Chinese Culture, 3(1), 57-65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40636-015-0038-6

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Nov 5, 2015
• Online Publication Date: Nov 25, 2015
• Publication Date: Apr 21, 2016
• Deposit Date: May 2, 2016
• Publicly Available Date: May 2, 2016
• Journal: International Communication of Chinese Culture
• Print ISSN: 2197-4233
• Electronic ISSN: 2197-4241
• Publisher: Springer
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 57-65
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40636-015-0038-6
• Keywords: Mudan ting, Peony Pavilion, Tang Xianzu, drama, qing, Chinese literature,theatre