Using the Operatic Stage to Showcase the Changing Times and the Vicissitudes of Fate: A Study on The Protagonist by Chen Yan

• Published in: Frontiers of literary studies in China Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 57 - 67
• Main Author: WANG Chunlin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Higher Education Press 01.03.2023
• Subjects: Chen Yan, The Protagonist, epic nature
• DOI: 10.3868/s010-011-023-0006-7
• ISSN: 1673-7318

Chen Yan has emerged as an outstanding novelist thanks to his rich experience in theatrical literature. His latest novel, The Protagonist, focuses on the heroine Yi Qin’e’s forty-year on the stage,and creates a group of characters living in obscurity under the social changes of the times, portraying a broader spectrum of life and society beyond the domain of drama and conveying his profound observations on life,the times, society, and the world. The epic artistic nature of the novel and the interplay between the fate of the characters and the social changes taking place at the time in the novel, along with Chen Yan’s deep insight into the complexity of humanity are the keys to the successful presentation of the art and ideology of The Protagonist.