On the Drama Theory of Taiwan during the Cold War Period: The Political Unconscious of Yao Yi-Wei’s Categories of Beauty

Abstract

<p>姚一葦《美的範疇論》是宏大的跨藝術門類美學理論文本，但在〈論悲壯〉章節中的書寫卻完全著眼於戲劇形式的討論，本文認為這部分是姚一葦留下非常具有創見的戲劇理論。事實上，姚一葦此書深受康德（Immanuel Kant）哲學影響，大體上是以康德《判斷力批判》（Critique of Judgement）的審美理論作為普遍性基礎，進行跨中西文化藝術作品的分析。本文關注點在於：雖然《美的範疇論》表面上是一個無時代性的書寫，但本文挪用詹明信（Fredric Jameson）政治無意識（the political unconscious）理論，發現姚一葦戲劇理論的創見，其實某一部分正是反映出其用戲劇理論家身分，參與1950至1970冷戰年代台灣文化界對中國符碼的建構。當時在中華文化復興運動和美援文化所交融的格局下，將西方文化產物調整為一種中國式特色，蔚為一種知識分子潮流。本文將說明：（1）姚一葦《美的範疇論》的論述結構、（2）挪用政治無意識理論，分析冷戰台灣社會的文化風潮與姚一葦理論形式之關係。</p> <p> </p><p>Yao-Yi-Wei’s Categories of Beauty is an influential text on the theory of drama and aesthetics in Taiwan. In most parts of Categories of Beauty, Yao-Yi-Wei employs Kant’s aesthetics from the Critique of Judgement as the basis for breaking down the barriers between eastern and western cultures. However, in the chapter on the theory of tragedy, Yao-Yi-Wei does not follow the approach taken in other parts of this book. In this chapter he ignores what East and West have in common emphasizing instead their differences. He claims that the aesthetic of Chinese tragedy has nothing in common with its western counterpart. From the perspective of the political unconscious of F. Jameson, this discrepancy of Categories of Beauty is evidence that although Yao-Yi-Wei intended to conceal contemporary influences on his works, he was inevitably and surreptitiously impacted by the ideology of the cold war on Taiwan. At that time in Taiwan, most intellectuals, driven by ideology, passionately created an ethnic code which they inserted in their artistic and literary works to strengthen themselves for dealing with the oppression of both the K.M.T. white terror and U.S. colonialism. In this paper, I will try to show how, in spite of being vague, the awkwardness of Categories of Beauty can be attributed to the ethnic code which Yao-Yi-Wei applied unconsciously. This is what makes Categories of Beauty an important theory of drama which reflects the political mood of the cold war period in Taiwan.</p> <p> </p>