Top Graduate Zhang Xie is the first extant play in the Chinese
southern dramatic tradition and a milestone in the history of
Chinese literature. Dating from the early fifteenth century, but
possibly composed earlier, it is the work of a writing club called
the Nine Mountain Society. The play relates the story of a talented
scholar who sets off for the capital to take the imperial exams. On
the road, he is robbed and beaten by a bandit. In a nearby village
temple he meets an orphaned girl who nurses him back to health and
whom he marries. Once he takes first place in the exams, however,
he comes to regret the marriage, setting in motion a series of
decisions with dire consequences. Underlying the drama are
preposterous farce, a penchant for puns, and ingenious play on the
conventions of theater. This story of love, ambition, and betrayal
speaks to the tensions created by the expectations that family,
society, and state placed on the scholar. The examination system
offered families the promise of social and economic advancement
through an official position. The state relied on these men for the
administration of the empire, and society expected that education
in the classics would produce moral men. The play offers a critique
of the scholar's ideal, the education system, and the ethical
values this process was intended to instill. This first full
English-language translation of Top Graduate Zhang Xie features a
detailed introduction that discusses the foundations of Chinese
drama and the play's composition and performance.
General
| Imprint: |
Columbia University Press
|
| Country of origin: |
United States |
| Series: |
Translations from the Asian Classics |
| Release date: |
June 2021 |
| First published: |
2020 |
| Translators: |
Regina Llamas
|
| Dimensions: |
216 x 140 x 33mm (L x W x T) |
| Format: |
Paperback - Trade
|
| Pages: |
464 |
| ISBN-13: |
978-0-231-19793-9 |
| Languages: |
English
|
| Subtitles: |
Chinese
|
| Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
Education >
General
|
| LSN: |
0-231-19793-4 |
| Barcode: |
9780231197939 |
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