Studies on the relationship between Irish drama in the Irish literary revival and the national dramatic movement of China, mediated through translations in Japan, and through the Chinese intellectual Guo Moruo

Abstract

The dramatic movement of the Irish Literary Revival had a profound influence on the development of Chinese drama, especially the National Drama Movement of China. This thesis focuses on early 20th-century China, delving deeply into why The May Fourth scholars voluntarily introduced and translated Irish literature, and what motivations allowed writers, who never met, to resonate strongly in their creative and political philosophies. This study centers on two figures from each movement, J. M. Synge from the Irish dramatic movement and Guo Moruo from China’s National Drama Movement, exploring their intellectual and dramatic connection.

After an introduction and a literature review, this thesis is structured into three main sections. Chapter 3 primarily analyzes Guo Moruo’s political philosophy, examining the diachronic evolution of his ideas before and after his studies in Japan. The fourth chapter discusses the introduction, translation, and adaptation of Irish literature within the Japanese academic sphere. It examines the literary image of Irish literature as understood by the Japanese academia and focuses on three Japanese writers’ adaptations of J. M. Synge. The final chapter considers the influence of various aspects of Japanese culture, politics, and religion, and examines why the Japanese adapted Synge resonated more with Guo Moruo than the original Synge, considering China’s national conditions and cultural background at the time. Finally, this chapter discusses why Guo Moruo did not fully accept the Japanese-academic-adapted Synge, in his own adaptations and his creative interpretation of Synge.