Excellent Examples: The Influence of Exemplar Texts on Traditional Drama Scholarship

A survey of the ninety year history of scholarship in the field of traditional drama reveals that a handful of abnormal texts has had a disproportionate influence on researchers' interpretations of the form and function of traditional plays. This paper attempts to reassess the place of these exemplar plays in traditional drama as a whole, and suggests an alternative view of plays, treating each as being of equal importance.