Analysis of “Orphan of China” and French Neoclassical Drama from the Perspective of Theme and Structure Plot

DOI

10.2991/assehr.k.220306.041How to use a DOI?

Keywords

“Orphan of the Zhao”; Yuan Zaju; “Orphan of China”; Voltaire; Classical unities; Neoclassicism

Abstract

In the 18th-century, Yuan Zaju (Chinese drama) “Orphan of Zhao” was translated and transmitted to France by the French missionary Marjosé. The philosopher and playwright Voltaire adapted the play and staged it in France. Why Voltaire, a pioneer of French thought adapted this play, and how to adapt it and what are the similarities and differences with Yuan Zaju “Orphan of Zhao”, are the points that this paper attempts to discuss. This paper uses primary and secondary data and compares and analyzes the similarities and differences between the two dramas from the perspective of theme and structure plot. Finally, this paper concludes that Voltaire only chose to accept themes related to China, and in terms of the character setting, plot and structure, the play still embodies the style of French Neoclassical drama.

Copyright

© 2022 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

Open Access

This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC license.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Zhongxin Jia
PY  - 2022
DA  - 2022/03/30
TI  - Analysis of “Orphan of China” and French Neoclassical Drama from the Perspective of Theme and Structure Plot
BT  - Proceedings of the 8th International Conference on Education, Language, Art and Inter-cultural Communication (ICELAIC 2021)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 260
EP  - 264
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/assehr.k.220306.041
DO  - 10.2991/assehr.k.220306.041
ID  - Jia2022
ER  -