乍聽「戲曲」一詞，一般人腦海裡出現的畫面與聲音，大概就是畫著濃妝的大花臉與鏗鏘嘈雜的中國樂伴奏。然而如果你以為戲曲就是一門古老的、不符合時代潮流的艱難學問，這其實只說對了很小一部分。首先，古典戲曲的歷史的確相當悠遠，是「從古代走來」的一門藝術，與古希臘悲劇、印度梵劇並列世界最古老的戲劇形式之一。其次，直至今天，戲曲仍舊頻繁地在華人世界的各式劇場中持續搬演著。我們不但可以看到維持著古典精神的戲曲演出，也可以看到當代創作者在表現形式與戲劇主題上不斷地推陳出新，為這個時代的觀眾們創造可以對話時代的劇本與表演。因此某種意義上而言，我們也正持續「書寫」著屬於這個時代的戲曲時。「書寫」在這裡作為一個擁有寬泛定義的動詞，既指劇本創作，也包括劇場演出，甚至所有相關的戲劇活動、觀賞行為，甚至是批評與討論。

古典戲曲的最大特色在於詩歌舞結合，並以抒情為本位；敷演情節之外，更重視情感的抒發並藉以引起觀眾共鳴。此外，戲曲特有的行當制（如：生旦淨末丑）、寫意性的表現手法（如：一桌二椅）以及結合各類表演藝術（唱曲、雜耍、科諢等）的豐富型態，都是其動人的特色與內涵。也因為劇本的創作是以場上演出為最終期待，因此當我們閱讀戲曲劇本時， 可以試著想像它在劇場上呈現的方式，將文字轉化成流動的畫面；這不僅是戲曲有異於其他文學形式的主要特質之一，也將是閱讀戲劇劇本最饒富興味的一環。

戲劇作為一種跨領域的綜合性表演藝術，其價值同時體現在案頭文本以及表演劇場之上，並兼具抒情與敘事的文學功能；這是戲曲與其他文學形式如詩、詞、散文、小說等最大的差異之一，也會是這一門課與其他中文課程內容有所區別之處。因此我們所涉獵與討論的「文本」，將同時包括「戲曲劇本」與「劇場演出」。再則，戲曲擁有著高度的娛樂性與通俗性，因此當我們在閱讀或觀賞戲曲時，更能關照到不同時代、跨越階層的群眾們真實而豐富的情感思想與審美標準。

究竟戲曲的特色與魅力何在？它在整個中國文學歷史裡扮演著什麼樣的角色？這不會是課堂上教師要努力說服大家的部分，而是是希望在一個學期的學習之後，每一位修課同學學生可以透過每一個單元循序漸進的引導與各種不拘形式的討論分享，最終延伸出自己關於這個提問的答覆。更進一步的，希望同學們除了知性的理解與思考之外，也能因為蘊含於戲曲文本中的多樣主題豐富自身的精神與情感內涵，並充分「享受」閱讀、觀賞這門藝術無可取代的愉悅過程。

When first hearing the word "opera", the images and sounds that come to most people's minds are probably large painted faces with heavy makeup and sonorous and noisy Chinese music accompaniment. However, if you think that opera is an ancient and difficult knowledge that does not conform to the trend of the times, this is actually only a small part of the truth. First of all, classical opera has a very long history indeed. It is an art that has "come from ancient times" and is one of the oldest drama forms in the world along with ancient Greek tragedy and Indian Sanskrit drama. Secondly, to this day, opera is still frequently performed in various theaters in the Chinese world. Not only can we see opera performances that maintain the classical spirit, but we can also see contemporary creators constantly innovating in expression forms and drama themes, creating scripts and performances that can speak to the times for audiences of this era. Therefore, in a sense, we are continuing to "write" the drama that belongs to this era. "Writing" is here used as a verb with a broad definition, which refers to not only script creation, but also theater performances, and even all related theatrical activities, viewing behaviors, and even criticism and discussion.

The greatest feature of classical opera is the combination of poetry and dance, and its emphasis on lyricism. In addition to performing plots, it pays more attention to the expression of emotions and to arouse the resonance of the audience. In addition, opera's unique industry system (such as Shengdan Jingmo Chou), freehand expression techniques (such as one table and two chairs), and the rich combination of various performing arts (singing, juggling, science, etc.) are all its moving features and connotations. Also because the creation of scripts is based on the ultimate expectation of performance on the stage, when we read opera scripts, we can try to imagine the way it will be presented on the theater, transforming words into flowing pictures; this is not only one of the main characteristics of opera that is different from other literary forms, but also the most interesting part of reading drama scripts.

As a cross-disciplinary comprehensive performing art, the value of drama is reflected in both desk text and performance theater, and it has both lyrical and narrative literary functions. This is one of the biggest differences between drama and other literary forms such as poetry, lyrics, prose, novels, etc., and it will also be the difference between this course and other Chinese courses. Therefore, the "text" we cover and discuss will include both "opera scripts" and "theatre performances." Furthermore, opera is highly entertaining and popular. Therefore, when we read or watch opera, we can better take into account the real and rich emotions, thoughts and aesthetic standards of people from different eras and across strata.

What are the characteristics and charm of opera? What role does it play in the entire history of Chinese literature? This will not be the part where the teacher has to work hard to convince everyone in class, but it is the hope that after a semester of study, every student can share his or her own answers to this question through step-by-step guidance in each unit and various informal discussions. Furthermore, I hope that in addition to intellectual understanding and thinking, students can also enrich their own spiritual and emotional connotations through the diverse themes contained in opera texts, and fully "enjoy" the irreplaceable pleasure process of reading and viewing this art.

廖奔、劉彥君《中國戲曲發展史》，太原：山西教育，2000。
余秋雨：《中國戲劇史》，台北：天下文化，2007。
關漢卿：《救風塵》
紀君祥：《趙氏孤兒》
王實甫：《西廂記》
高則誠：《琵琶記》
湯顯祖：《牡丹亭》
洪 昇：《長生殿》
孔尚任：《桃花扇》

Liao Ben and Liu Yanjun, "History of the Development of Chinese Opera", Taiyuan: Shanxi Education, 2000.
Yu Qiuyu: "History of Chinese Drama", Taipei: Tianxia Culture, 2007.
Guan Hanqing: "Save Feng Chen"
Ji Junxiang: "The Orphan of Zhao"
Wang Shifu: "The Romance of the West Chamber"
Gao Zecheng: "The Story of Pipa"
Tang Xianzu: "The Peony Pavilion"
Hong Sheng: "The Palace of Eternal Life"
Kong Shangren: "Peach Blossom Fan"