The Good Person of Sichuan and the Chinese cultural tradition

Abstract

Among 20^th century German writers, Brecht was the most actively interested in the research and adaptation of Chinese culture. Via a series of comparisons, this article reveals that his play The Good Person of Sichuan (Der gute Mensch von Sezuan) was in fact based on the Yuan poetic drama A Sister Courtesan Comes to the Rescue (Zhao Pan’er fengyue jiu fengchen 赵盼儿风月救风尘) by Guan Hanqing 关汉卿; in terms of composition and characterization, the work is related to Mengzi’s 孟子 (Mencius) theory of “the tendency of human nature to do good” (xing shan shuo 性善说) as well. This article looks closely at the lessons Brecht drew from the Chinese dramatic arts, and how he applied that knowledge in the creation of epic theater and in the transformation of traditional Western aesthetics. The article explains how the infusion of classical Chinese wisdom, in combination with Brecht’s literary talent, gave added philosophic depth to The Good Person of Sichuan.

摘要

20 世纪德国作家布莱希特的剧本 «四川好人» 是依据我国元杂剧作家关汉卿的 «赵盼儿风月救风尘» 创作的, 这出戏在主题构思、 人物塑造方面与孟子 “性善说” 有密切的关系。 由此可以看出布莱希特借鉴中国戏曲艺术经验, 进行史诗剧创作, 改造西方传统美学规则的努力, 以及他把古代中国智慧运用于 «四川好人» 的创作, 在丰富剧本文采、 加强哲理性深度方面取得的成绩。