Author(s)

Guojian Wu ¹

Affiliation(s)

¹ Social Sciences China Press, Beijing, China

Corresponding Author

Guojian Wu

ABSTRACT

Tragedy is an important genre of drama, which occupies an important position in both the history of Chinese literature and the history of world literature. The feeling of tragedy often generates infinite power. Although tragedy exists in Chinese and Western cultures, it is manifested in various historical forms, including geographical factors, living conditions, cultural customs, etc. Therefore, this paper analyzed the origin, causes, themes and character characteristics of Chinese and Western tragedies, analyzed the natural description and historical process of theoretical forms, analyzed the differences between Western Europe and China's traditional tragedies and their causes, and better understood the formal characteristics of Western Europe and China's tragedies. At the same time, people can have a deeper understanding of Chinese and Western cultural traditions. Through analysis, it can be concluded that the popularity of Western tragedies is the highest in the youth stage, and the popularity of Western tragedies is 53%; the popularity of Chinese tragedies is the highest in middle age and old age, and the popularity of Chinese tragedies is 62% in middle age and 60.5% in old age. The structural form of Chinese tragedies is mostly ordinary people's tragedies, while western tragedies are mostly heroic tragedies. In Chinese tragedies, heroic tragedies account for 20%, destiny tragedies account for 30%, and ordinary people tragedies account for 50%; in Western tragedies, heroic tragedies account for 56%, destiny tragedies account for 32%, and ordinary people tragedies account for 12%.

KEYWORDS

Chinese and Western Tragedies, Theoretical Forms, Natural Narrative Contrast, Historical Evolution

CITE THIS PAPER

Guojian Wu, Evaluation of the Natural Narrative Contrast and Historical Evolution of Chinese and Western Tragic Theories. Art and Performance Letters (2025) Vol. 6: 17-26. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/artpl.2025.060103.

REFERENCES

[1] An D U, Media S O, University G N. National Consciousness, Ontological Consciousness and Stylistic Consciousness: The Ambivalent Modernity of Chinese Tragedy Poetics[J]. Journal of Guizhou Normal University (Social Sciences), 2018, 144(9):264-269.
[2] Song D, Wang S, Humanities S O. Change the Tragedy into Human Charming—On the Distillation of the Tragedy by Chinese Ancient Opera and Its Causes[J]. Journal of Hechi University, 2017, 24(4):78-88.
[3] Chen J, Qi S. Tragedy, No Tragedy, and Tragedy with Chinese Characteristics? One Hundred Years of Debate with a 'Happy Ending'[J]. The Cambridge Quarterly, 2020, 49(1):55-71.
[4] Lin Y Q, Jia H W, Dechsubha T. Interpretation of Female Tragedy Semiotics in the White Deer Plain--Take Tian Xiao'e as a Case [J]. Literature and Art Studies, 2021, 9(10):620-625.
[5] Yang J. A Cross-cultural and Comparative Study on Female Self-consciousness Between Chinese and Western Tragic Women in Madam Du Sinks Her Treasure Chest in Anger and Medea[J]. Arts Studies and Criticism, 2022, 3(1):56-60.
[6] Ju W. Aristotle's Tragedy Theory and Its Application in the Analysis of A Dream of Red Mansions[J]. Overseas English, 2017, 2017(4):154-155.
[7] Liu H. Differences of Chinese and Western Traditional Concepts of Tragedy and the Reasons[J]. Ludong University Journal (Philosophy and Social Sciences Edition), 2017, 124(11):11-21.
[8] Martin W. Tragedy and Redress in Western Literature: A Philosophical Perspective, by Richard Gaskin[J]. Mind, 2018, 128(7):993-1002.
[9] MD Silva, Panisi L, Manubuasa L. Preventable stillbirths in the Solomon Islands – A hidden tragedy[J]. The Lancet Regional Health - Western Pacific, 2020, 19(2):54-59. 
[10] Wen C. Probe into the Tragedy Sense of Puxian Opera the Number One Scholar's Death[J]. Journal of Zhejiang Vocational Academy of Art, 2017, 54(3):24-29.
[11] Chen Y S. The Hegelian Tragedy, Negative Dialectic and Ethical Substance in Sophocles'[J]. Literature and Art Studies, 2018, 8(4):11-16.
[12] Feng J X. On Chinese Classical Tragedies from Aristotle's Theory of Tragedy Plot—Taking Orphan and Snow in Midsummer as Examples [J]. Journal of Luohe Vocational Technology College, 2017, 20(9):78-89.
[13] Randolph R.Arizona’s Deadliest Gunfight: Draft Resistance and Tragedy at the Power Cabin, 1918. By Heidi J. Osselaer [J]. The Western Historical Quarterly, 2020, 87(2):2-9.
[14] Zkan H. Book Review. Driven Toward Madness: The Fugitive Slave Margaret Garner and Tragedy on the Ohio. Nikki M. Taylor [J].The Western Journal of Black Studies, 2018, 42(2):83-84.
[15] Chen J. Britain's Forgotten War-time Tragedy to be Retold in a Chinese Documentary [J]. Cultural exchange, 2018, 10(10):63-66.
[16] Liu L. Character Analysis of Oates' Wonderland—The Source of Tragedy: Willard Harte[J]. Overseas English, 2018, 41(8):664-669.
[17] Seaford R, Bostock R. Tragedy, Ritual and Money in Ancient Greece (Selected Essays) [J].Monetisation and the Genesis of the Western Subject, 2018, 17(7):345-369. 
[18] Yun-Ting L U. Spiritual Transformation of Western Civilization—Football as the Original Tragedy of the Modern Era [J]. Journal of Hebei Sport University, 2018, 880(1):52-55.
[19] Xiang L I, Induction and Deduction: Discussion about Tragedy Character of 'The Story of Pipa'[J]. Journal of Mudanjiang University, 2018, 51(9):1452-1459.

Sponsors, Associates, and Links

---

• Journal of Language Testing & Assessment
  
  
• Information and Knowledge Management
  
  
• Military and Armament Science
  
  
• Media and Communication Research
  
  
• Journal of Human Movement Science
  
  
• Lecture Notes on History
  
  
• Lecture Notes on Language and Literature
  
  
• Philosophy Journal
  
  
• Science of Law Journal
  
  
• Journal of Political Science Research
  
  
• Journal of Sociology and Ethnology
  
  
• Advances in Broadcasting