A Brief History of Chinese Fiction. Ancient Period

Author: Li Xianfang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-10-01
Features: The title of this book is "A Concise History of Chinese Fiction" (Ancient Part), which aims to simplify and streamline, presenting the development of ancient Chinese fiction in a clear and concise manner. The book divides the process of fiction development into three parts—Classical Chinese Fiction, Vernacular Fiction, and Long Chaptered Novels from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. On one hand, it clarifies the vertical development of fiction, making it easier to explore the evolution of its themes and expressive methods. On the other hand, it also takes into account the horizontal influence of fiction. When heroic legends, fantasy novels, and social novels emerged, fiction developed lateral connections in terms of themes. We place the semi-mythological and semi-fantastical "Fengshen Yanyi" among the sequels to "Journey to the West," and the "Green Forest Wanderer," which contains both "fantasy" and "social realism," among the sequels to "Journey to the West." This arrangement allows us to see the mutual influence and fusion of themes, as well as the inspiration the former provided for the emergence of the latter type of fiction.