On drama that does not have a story as its soul

Jiuyuan Qian

doi:10.51094/jxiv.1465

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Jiuyuan Qian Anhui University of the Arts, Drama School https://www.ahua.edu.cn/xjysx/2020/0421/c630a7029/page.htm

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51094/jxiv.1465

Keywords:

Aristotle, The Plot-Soul Theory, Dramas Without Plot as Soul, Dramas With Plot as Soul, Four-level Subdivision Method, Qian Jiuyuan

Abstract

More than 2,000 years ago, Aristotle's assertion in his Poetics that plot is the soul of tragedy should not be generalized as the standard for all theater worldwide, nor should it be believed that drama must necessarily have a story-driven plot as its core. In fact, within the treasure trove of world theater, including Chinese opera, there are numerous works that do not revolve around story plots as their soul.

This paper attempts to propose a new classification of world drama based on whether the plot dominates the entire work and whether the plot constitutes the essence or soul of the drama. Broadly speaking, world drama can be divided into two categories:

Drama with a plot as its soul—also called "plot-driven drama" or “Aristotelian drama,” represented today by spoken drama (theater).

Drama without a plot as its soul—also called “non-plot-driven drama,” which includes operas, dance dramas, musical dramas (including Chinese opera), and other genres that, structurally, fall into this category.

This paper analyzes why the concept of "Dramas Without Plot as Soul" appeared so late in the development of dramatic theory. It argues that applying a "Four-level Subdivision Method" to analyze plot helps us better grasp the essential characteristics of narrative in drama.

Additionally, the paper explores the classificatory status of so-called "plotless" dramas within dramaturgical taxonomy.

Conflicts of Interest Disclosure

The authors declare no conflicts of interest associated with this manuscript.

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Author Biography

Jiuyuan Qian, Anhui University of the Arts, Drama School

My name is Qian Jiuyuan, from Changfeng County, Anhui Province, China. I hold the title of associate professor and a doctoral degree. I am a member of the Chinese Democratic League, a composer, tenor and baritone singer, poet, writer, and literary theorist.

I was born in May 1966, male. I graduated with a PhD in Drama and Opera Studies from Shanghai Theatre Academy in 2004, a Masters degree in Ancient Chinese Literature from East China Normal University in Shanghai in 1997, and a major in Music Education from the Art Department of Anhui Education College in 1993. Proficient in drama directing and has a deep understanding of drama theory. Three monographs have been published, including "The Mystery of Shanghai style Peking Opera - Dr. Qian Jiuyuans Thesis and Selected Plays" (570000 words), "Yue - The National Roots of Chinese Classical Drama" (290000 words), and "Image Drama Studies" (200000 words), as well as several papers such as "Death Description in The Story of the Western Chamber", "Critique of the Ontology of Chinese Opera", "On the Stage Set of Shanghai style Peking Opera", "The Evolution of Shanghai Theater in the Late Qing Dynasty", "bel canto Singing and National Opera - Calling for the Arrival of the Era of Chinese National Opera".

I started to write lyrics and songs around 2015, and now I have created more than 100 songs, which have been signed and distributed on bandlab、Netease Cloud Music、Kugou Music、Tiktok Music、Apple Music and other music platforms. Some songs such as "I Want to Be a Big Star" and "If Sunrise Only Happens Once" have also started to be released in KTV halls across the country.

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