Tradition of anti-utopia in Gao Xingjian’s play “The Other Shore”

Abstract

Gao Xingjian (1940), an outstanding representative of experimental theatre in China at the beginning of the 80s, in his drama “The Other Shore” (1986) displays an original anti-utopia. In terms of the subject matter the play marks the point of no return to treading carefuly with “sensitive” topics, as it could be seen in his previous plays “Absolute Signal” (1982), “The Bus Stop” (1983) and “The Wild Man” (1985). The playwright followed the genre of anti-utopia and transformed it into a socio-philosophical tragedy — an illusionary world rooted in a society ruled by masses. The paper explores specific functioning of anti-utopian genre within the play and interprets its pivotal figures based on how they form the play’s multilayered conflict. Refs 12.

Keywords:

tradition, anti-utopia, drama, power, personal identity, masses, escape, the Other shore