China's Proletarian Myth

The reform of Beijing opera during China's Cultural Revolution led to a genre of highly polished works of 'revolutionary modern' drama and ballet which are rarely thought of as 'literature', not only because they are performance works, but because they are more readily seen in their political context, as propaganda. This book investigates the relationship between ideology, mass education and art by concentrating on the dramatic text of the works as a form of storytelling related to world mythology and folklore, as well as a traditional Chinese art form. The author analyses the aesthetic principle embodied in the texts and in the common narrative structure of the 'model works' of the Cultural Revolution, not just as a blueprint for the creation of this genre, but as a kind of performance text for the conduct of a Maoist 'revolutionary narrative' in the broader society during these turbulent and tragic years. This book will be of interest to China scholars and to students of world literature and drama, as well as those interested in the relationship between ideology and art.