Research on Song and Yuan Novels

Author: Cheng Yizhong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-09-01
Features: The novels of the Song and Yuan dynasties perfectly reflect the major direction of literary development. The Song and Yuan periods were a transitional phase in the history of novels. It was an era when vernacular novels based on storytelling began to flourish, while classical novels rooted in historical records declined. However, it was not a period of (old-new alternation) but rather one of (old-new intermingling and fusion). Nevertheless, the achievements of Song and Yuan vernacular novels lay not so much in their historical accuracy or literary style, but rather in their fiction and innovation. The entry "Wayside Entertainment in the Capital" in Records of the Capital City states: "(Shadow Puppetry) Its storytelling is quite similar to that of historical tales, with a mix of truth and fiction." It was precisely because storytellers had this "mix of truth and fiction" in their recreation that historical records were transformed into vernacular novels. As for novelists specializing in tales of romance, ghosts, and legends, they naturally required even more artistic refinement. The development of Song and Yuan vernacular novels is reflected in the increased attention to detailed descriptions and the refinement of language. These artistic refinements pushed Chinese novels to a new height.