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A฀SUPPLEMEN T฀T O฀BRECHT' S฀ 'ALIENATION฀EFFECT S฀I N฀CHINES E฀ACTING '฀ Huang฀Zuoli n฀ Friends฀an d฀fello w฀Brechtians :฀ As฀w e฀al l฀know ,฀Brech t฀wrot e฀hi s฀essa y฀o n฀th e฀Chines e฀ classical฀theatr e฀i n฀193 5฀afte r฀h e฀ha d฀see n฀th e฀performanc e฀ of฀China' s฀maste r฀performin g฀artis t฀- ฀Pekin g฀oper a฀acto r฀ Mei฀Lanfang .฀I ฀wa s฀studyin g฀i n฀Englan d฀a t฀th e฀time ,฀an d฀ his฀essa y฀publishe d฀i n฀Englis h฀inspire d฀m e฀wit h฀grea t฀ national฀pride .฀I n฀hi s฀article ,฀Brech t฀praise s฀Me i฀Lanfan g฀ in฀genuin e฀admiration .฀ Brecht's฀power s฀o f฀observatio n฀deserv e฀ou r฀respect .฀ He฀discovere d฀a t฀firs t฀glanc e฀tha t฀th e฀Chines e฀theatr e฀wa s฀ a฀ric h฀treasury ,฀tha t฀i t฀ha d฀th e฀theatrica l฀qualit y฀tha t฀h e฀ was฀searchin g฀fo r฀- ฀wha t฀h e฀calle d฀'Verfremdungseffekte' ,฀ alienation฀effects .฀Brech t฀ha d฀onl y฀a ฀fleetin g฀'glimpse '฀o f฀ the฀Pekin g฀opera ,฀an d฀therefor e฀inevitabl y฀mad e฀som e฀ inaccurate฀observations .฀Fo r฀exampl e฀h e฀says ,฀'I t฀i s฀wel l฀ known฀tha t฀th e฀Chines e฀theatr e฀make s฀considerabl e฀us e฀o f฀ symbolism.฀Fo r฀instance ,฀a ฀genera l฀wil l฀wea r฀a s฀man y฀ ribbons฀o n฀hi s฀epaulette s฀a s฀th e฀regiment s฀h e฀commands '฀ (16.619).*฀Thi s฀i s฀no t฀correct .฀Actuall y฀wha t฀h e฀wear s฀i s฀ four฀littl e฀flag s฀regardles s฀o f฀th e฀siz e฀o f฀hi s฀army .฀(I n฀th e฀ Classical฀Chines e฀theatre ,฀th e฀costum e฀whic h฀a ฀genera l฀ wears฀i s฀calle d฀th e฀'Kao 1 ,฀an d฀th e฀fou r฀littl e฀flag s฀a t฀th e฀ back฀ar e฀calle d฀'Kaoqi'. )฀Bu t฀mistake s฀lik e฀thi s฀ar e฀o f฀n o฀ importance.฀A ฀grea t฀artis t฀Brech t฀surel y฀is ,฀an d฀hi s฀ ^Editor's฀note :฀Huan g฀Zuoli n฀quote s฀fro m฀p .฀11 6฀o f฀Eri c฀ Walter฀White' s฀translatio n฀o f฀Brecht' s฀essay ,฀publishe d฀i n฀ Life฀an d฀Letter s฀Toda y฀(London) ,฀15 ,฀No .฀6 ฀(1936) ,฀116-12 3฀ and฀entitle d฀'Th e฀Fourt h฀Wal l฀o f฀China ,฀a n฀essa y฀o n฀th e฀ effect฀o f฀disillusio n฀i n฀th e฀Chines e฀Theatre' .฀ Alienation฀Effect s฀i n฀Chines e฀Actin g฀9 7฀ comments฀o n฀Mei' s฀exquisit e฀performanc e฀ar e฀a n฀indicatio n฀ of฀hi s฀dee p฀insigh t฀int o฀th e฀Chines e฀theatre .฀ He฀observe s฀tha t฀Pekin g฀oper a฀show s฀a n฀understandin g฀ of฀wha t฀h e฀call s฀th e฀alienatio n฀effect ,฀an d฀deftly฀make s฀us e฀ of฀it .฀H e฀discover s฀tha t฀th e฀Chines e฀theatrica l฀stag e฀'doe s฀ not฀hav e฀a ฀fourt h฀wall' ,฀thu s฀distinguishin g฀itsel f฀fro m฀th e฀ European฀theatrica l฀traditio n฀o f฀pursuin g฀th e฀illusio n฀o f฀life .฀ He฀perceive s฀tha t฀Chines e฀actors ,฀whil e฀acting ,฀ar e฀ constantly฀involve d฀i n฀'self-observation' ,฀an d฀remark s฀tha t฀ this฀'self-observation '฀i s฀'a n฀ac t฀o f฀artisti c฀self-alienation '฀ (16.622)฀tha t฀prevent s฀th e฀audienc e฀fro m฀identifyin g฀itsel f฀ emotionally฀wit h฀th e฀happening s฀o n฀stage ,฀thu s฀creatin g฀a฀ distance฀betwee n฀th e฀tw o฀wit h฀excellen t฀results .฀ He฀als o฀point s฀ou t฀tha t฀Pekin g฀oper a฀doe s฀no t฀rejec t฀ the฀expressio n฀o f฀emotions .฀H e฀cite s฀'yaofa '฀(takin g฀one' s฀ hair฀i n฀one' s฀mouth )฀an d฀'bianlian '฀( a฀sudde n฀chang e฀o f฀ facial฀make-up )฀a s฀examples ,฀commentin g฀tha t฀thes e฀ stylized...

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