Tragedy does not die: Creativity, emotions, and metaphor of revolution in the context of Chinese Revolutionary Drama

Abstract

The decline of tragedy is one of the greatest tragedies of modernity. While many scholars exclaim that tragedy has been dead, Raymond Williams points out that it is not an eternal metaphysical event, but is plural and dynamic, a series of experiences, a tradition. Williams’ rethinking of tragedy provides a historical perspective on the cultural meanings. What matters are the traditions, emotions, and experiences of the time in which the tragedy is set, and the superimposed series of accidents and imbalances that create this type of tragic experience. That is, tragedy is not a static narrative of grief, but a textual creativity. This article will examine this argument in the context of Chinese Revolutionary Drama. The White-Haired Girl (Bai Mao Nv) is a famous tragedy born a hundred years ago in China that depicts the tragic fate of the poor. During the Communist Revolution, it was adapted by the propaganda department of the Communist Party as a tragedy of class oppression and extended to the whole country as a symbol of emotional mobilization. After 1978, the tragedy was forgotten as an outdated revolutionary legacy. However, the experience and texts of the The White-Haired Girl are still active in Chinese social networks today. This complex process is not only historical but also emotional. The aims of this article are the following: (1) to reveal the constructive relationship between creativity, revolution, and emotion; (2) to present the process of interconstruction between tragedy as context and tragedy as metaphor for revolution; and (3) to place creativity in the context of specific cultural and historical changes and observe its dynamic significance.