Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.2, 2020

Aesthetic Characteristics of Sacrificial Drama

(Abstract)

Li Zhiyuan

Sacrificial drama refers to ritual and dramatic sacrificial process in sacrificial space for the purpose of praying for good fortune and driving away evil spirits. In this process, some links are more ritualistic and some are more dramatic, but the whole shows the decrease of the mystery of sacrifice and religion, and the tendency that the audience generally views it as entertainment. As an independent type of drama, the sacrificial drama has its own aesthetic characteristics, which are mainly manifested in five aspects: strong practical inclination, integration of ritual and drama, coexistence of simplicity and elegance in external form, coexistence of originality and stylization in performance, and extension of internal structure.