The historical changes of Chinese novels could be divided into the following stages: 1. Traditional novel stage (about 10th century to 18th century) The novels of this period were mainly narrative-based literary works such as Water Margins, Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, etc. These works reflected the living conditions of the society and people's thoughts and beliefs at that time. 2. New Culture Movement (19th century to 1920s) The novels of this period were mainly literary works that described the revolutionary struggle and the idea of progress, such as The White-haired Girl and Lu Xun's Collection of Short Stories. The New Culture Movement accelerated the process of the Chinese literature's modernisation and also gave birth to the development of modern Chinese literature. 3. Modern novel stage (1930s to 1950s) The novels of this period mainly described urban life and the class of the citizens, such as City and Dog, Teahouse, Song of Everlasting Sorrow, etc. Modern novels reflected the reality of society and people's thoughts and feelings at that time. 4. Period of contemporary novels (1960s to present day) The novels of this period were mainly literary works that reflected contemporary society and characters, such as Living, Xu Sanguan Selling Blood, Brothers, etc. The contemporary novels deeply revealed the reality and humanity of the society at that time, and also promoted the process of Chinese literature's modernisation. It should be noted that the historical changes of Chinese novels are a long process. Different historical periods have different literary topics and styles, as well as different cultural and intellectual backgrounds.
The origins and historical changes of ancient Chinese novels were as follows: 1 Pre-Qin period The Pre-Qin period (11th century B.C. to 21st century B.C.) was the earliest period of Chinese novels. The Spring and Autumn Annals, Zuo Zhuan, Guoyu and other historical books, as well as many poems and Fu in the Book of Songs, all contained a large number of novel elements. In addition, some prose works in the Pre-Qin period also appeared in the form of novels, such as "Mozi's leisure Fu" and "Han Feizi's prominent learning". Qin and Han Dynasties The Qin and Han Dynasties (21st century B.C. to 220A.D.) was the golden age of Chinese novels. Many important novels appeared, such as "Records of the Historian","Han Shu","Water Margins","Journey to the West" and so on. These works formed the basic routine and narrative structure of Chinese novels, laying the foundation for the development of later novels. 3 Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties The Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties (220 - 589) was the period of development of Chinese novels. Many outstanding novels appeared, such as Dream of the Red Chamber, Water Margins, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Journey to the West, etc. The novels of this period not only absorbed foreign cultures but also formed their own unique narrative style and literary form. 4. Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties The Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties (618 - 1911) were the peak period of Chinese novels. Many great novels appeared, such as Water Margins, Journey to the West, Dream of the Red Chamber, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, etc. The novels of this period were not only numerous but also of high quality, forming a complete system of Chinese novels. Generally speaking, the development of ancient Chinese novels has gone through many stages, from simple narration to complex narration, from prose to novel, from traditional narration to modern narration.
The Historical Changes of Chinese Fictions was published by Qian Liqun in 1993.
The change in the narrative mode of Chinese novels can be summarized as the following stages: 1. Traditional narrative mode: The early narrative mode of Chinese novels was usually described in the form of historical events and biographies, such as "Records of the Historian" and "Han Shu." 2. Folk narrative mode: After the Tang Dynasty, novels began to absorb materials from the folk and formed a narrative mode that used personal experiences, life stories, and folklore as materials, such as "Dream of the Red Chamber","Water Margins", etc. 3. The narrative mode of the legendary novels of the Tang Dynasty: The legendary novels of the Tang Dynasty, such as Song of Everlasting Regret and Song of Pipa, created a narrative mode with love, war and politics as the theme. 4. The narrative mode of Song Dynasty vernacular novels: Song Dynasty vernacular novels such as Water Margins and Journey to the West used more easy-to-understand language and narrative methods to form a narrative mode with personal fate, social reality and human nature as the theme. 5. The narrative mode of novels in Ming and Qing Dynasties: The novels in Ming and Qing Dynasties, such as Dream of the Red Chamber, Water Margins, Journey to the West, etc., formed a narrative mode with personal emotions, human nature and interpersonal relationships as the theme. At the same time, they also created a narrative mode with political struggles and historical events as the theme. 6. Modern novel narrative mode: At the beginning of the 20th century, with the rise of the vernacular movement, the narrative mode of novels began to change to vernacular, modern, and relaxed styles, such as "Ordinary World" and "Living". Modern novel narrative mode: In the latter half of the 20th century, modern novels such as Lu Xun, Lao She, Zhang Ailing, etc. created a narrative mode with social reality, human nature and social problems as the theme. At the same time, they also began to try new narrative techniques and language styles. Modern urban novels such as Xiao Ding's Celestial Bane and Zhang Henshui's Spring Silkworm pay more attention to the emotions and interpersonal relationships of the characters, as well as the details of urban life, creating a narrative model with urban life as the theme. Modern science fiction narrative mode: Modern science fiction novels such as Liu Cixin's " The Three Bodies " and Yang Jiang's " The Three of Us " paid more attention to science and science fiction elements and created a narrative mode with science fiction as the theme. The change of these narrative patterns gradually occurred with the change of Chinese society and cultural background, and it was also an important stage in the development of Chinese novels.
The historical changes of Chinese novels can be roughly divided into three periods: ancient novels, modern novels, and modern novels. Ancient novels referred to novels from the Book of Songs to the end of the Qing Dynasty, including many classic literary works such as Dream of the Red Chamber, Water Margins, Journey to the West, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and so on. Modern novels referred to novels from the late 19th century to the early 20th century, including many famous modern literary works such as Lu Xun's Madman's Diary, The True Story of Ah Q, Lao She's Camel Xiangzi, Zhang Ailing's Red Rose and White Rose, etc. Modern novels referred to novels from the middle of the 20th century to the early 21st century, including many famous modern literary works such as Ernest Hemmingway's The Sun Also Rises, Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury, Mo Yan's The Red Soroliang Family, and Yu Hua's To Live. Therefore, the history of Chinese novels does not specifically record the changes of novels in each period, but it can roughly understand the history of Chinese novels according to the time order.
One of the best is 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'. It vividly depicts the power struggles, heroic deeds, and complex relationships during the Three Kingdoms period. Another great one is 'Dream of the Red Chamber', which offers deep insights into the life and culture of a wealthy family in feudal China. And 'Water Margin' is also highly regarded, presenting the stories of 108 outlaws and their fight against corruption.
Yes, they can. Chinese history is so rich and full of amazing stories. For example, 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' has been widely read and studied around the world. Its complex characters, strategic battles and political intrigues are very appealing to international readers.
Avant-garde novels usually refer to those novels that are forward-looking and experimental in literature. Their characteristics include the use of complex language, the exploration of new topics and forms, and the use of avant-garde literary techniques and techniques. The changes in avant-garde novels could include the following aspects: Language: Avant-garde novels usually use very special and complex language to express their thoughts and emotions. This language may include a lot of metaphor, metaphor, symbolism, and verbal expressions to better convey the author's ideas. 2. Threads and Forms: Vanguard novels may explore some very novel and unique topics and forms such as modern culture, social movements, politics, religion, gender, race, etc. These subjects and forms may be expressed using various literary techniques such as contrast, reversal, suggestion, symbolism, etc. 3. Narrations: Pioneer novels may adopt various narrative methods such as non-linear narration, multiple narration, flashback, and interjection. These narrations may make the story more complicated and interesting, but they may also challenge the reader's reading ability. 4. literary techniques and techniques: avant-garde novels may use various literary techniques and techniques such as symbolism, metaphor, contrast, reversal, suggestion, etc. These techniques and techniques may make the story more complicated and interesting, and may also enhance the artistic value of the work. Changes in the vanguard novel could include innovation in language, theme and form, narrative methods, literary techniques and techniques to better express the author's thoughts and emotions. At the same time, it could also challenge the reader's reading ability and promote the development and progress of literature.
The new realistic novel is a genre of literature. It combines many modern elements and technical means on the basis of traditional realism literature to show contemporary society and people's lives more truthfully and objectively. The changes in the new realistic novels were mainly reflected in the following aspects: 1. Pay more attention to social reality: The new realistic novels are no longer limited to describing historical events and characters, but pay more attention to the current social reality by depicting the psychology and actions of the characters to reflect social changes and contradictions. 2. Pay more attention to character creation: The characters in the new realistic novels are no longer flat characters in traditional novels, but three-dimensional images with depth and complexity. The author needs to use various means to show the character's personality, thoughts, emotions, and experiences so that the readers can understand and feel the inner world of the character more deeply. 3. Pay more attention to technical means: The use of technical means in the new realistic novels is more diverse. It is no longer limited to the traditional realistic description method. Instead, it uses various modern literary techniques and technical means such as metaphor, symbol, metaphor, etc. to show the contemporary society and people's lives in a more vivid and vivid way. 4. Pay more attention to the story: The new realistic novels pay more attention to the narration of the story and the development of the plot instead of just pursuing the superficial realism. The author needed to show the character's character and fate through various plots and details to make the readers more involved in the story. The change of the new realistic novel was mainly reflected in the more emphasis on social reality, character creation, technical means and storytelling. It was a literary school that reflected the contemporary society and people's lives more truthfully and profoundly.
Good translation is crucial. If the translations can accurately convey the essence of the stories and the cultural connotations, it will be easier for them to be accepted globally.
For beginners, 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' is a great choice. It has a lot of exciting stories about war, strategy, and heroic figures like Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu. The plot is engaging and not too difficult to follow. Another good one is 'Journey to the West'. With its vivid characters such as the Monkey King, Pigsy, and Sandy, it's very interesting and easy to get into. It also has a lot of adventure elements.