Transcultural Aesthetics in the Plays of Gao Xingjian

144 Pages·2014·1.02 MB·English

by  Todd J. Coulter (auth.)

Transcultural Aesthetics in the Plays of Gao Xingjian
DOI: 10.1057/9781137440747.0001
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DOI: 10.1057/9781137440747.0001
Transcultural Aesthetics
in the Plays of Gao
Xingjian
Todd J. Coulter
Colby College, USA
DOI: 10.1057/9781137440747.0001
transcultural aesthetics in the plays of gao xingjian
Copyright © Todd J. Coulter, 2014.
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2014 978-1-137-44252-9
All rights reserved.
First published in 2014 by
PALGRAVE MACMILLAN®
in the United States—a division of St. Martin’s Press LLC,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10010.
Where this book is distributed in the UK, Europe and the rest of the world,
this is by Palgrave Macmillan, a division of Macmillan Publishers Limited,
registered in England, company number 785998, of Houndmills,
Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS.
Palgrave Macmillan is the global academic imprint of the above companies
and has companies and representatives throughout the world.
Palgrave® and Macmillan® are registered trademarks in the United States,
the United Kingdom, Europe and other countries.
ISBN: 978–1–137–44074–7 PDF
ISBN: 978-1-349-49510-8
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from
the Library of Congress.
A catalogue record of the book is available from the British Library.
First edition: 2014
www.palgrave.com/pivot
doi: 10.1057/9781137440747
To NBH
DOI: 10.1057/9781137440747.0001
Contents
Acknowledgments vii
Introduction: International Recognition
and National Confusion 1
1 Reactive Theater: State Theater and
New Voices in China and France 18
2 Physical Division: Jingju in Performance
and Theory 30
3 The Actor in Thirds: Gao’s Theory of
Performance 47
4 An Individual in the Void: Au bord de la vie 73
5 An Individual in Company: Quatre
quatuors pour un week-end 90
6 An Individual in Night: Ballade Nocturne
and Gao’s Philosophical Woman 104
Conclusion: The Obligation of Creation 114
Bibliography 127
Index 131
vi DOI: 10.1057/9781137440747.0001
Acknowledgments
There are many people who have helped along the way,
either reading drafts and offering suggestions, or champi-
oning my work and helping me along the way. I need to
thank Haiping Yan for introducing me to the work of Gao
Xingjian and for challenging me to create work beyond
the page. There is no way that this book would have been
completed if not for the constant support and encourage-
ment of Claire Conceison. She is a gracious scholar who
shares resources and ideas. She also introduced me to Gao
himself and for that I am forever grateful. Sy Ren Quah’s
work on Gao has bolstered my own and for his quiet
support, I thank him. I also would like to acknowledge
two undergraduate research assistants: Ali Reader and
Jack Gobillot. Ali was helpful in collecting reviews and
information and Jack has proven himself to be an incred-
ible help in the final stages of preparing the manuscript.
DOI: 10.1057/9781137440747.0002 vii

Introduction: International
Recognition and
National Confusion

Abstract: The introduction tackles the term transcultural and
discusses how it is employed in the book. Because the term
comes from Sy Ren Quah’s book, I take time to discuss Quah’s
argument and how my work relates to his. Specifically, my
work looks at his French-language plays and not his Chinese
language work. The introduction goes on to show how Gao
uses language to shift subjectivity and hence identity in his
plays and concludes with a succinct biographical sketch of
Gao and his career as a playwright and artist.
Coulter, Todd J. Transcultural Aesthetics in the Plays of
Gao Xingjian. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
doi: 10.1057/9781137440747.0003.
DOI: 10.1057/9781137440747.0003 