Four Classic Novels

Novels developed slowly in the long history. Short stories and myths are the main forms in thefield before Yuan Dynasty; chapter novels or full-length novels were created in Yuan Dynasty that pushed the novels to a new development. The Ming and Qing dynasties are a great period of novels with numerous famous works. The representative works are Romance of Three Kingdoms, Outlaws of the Marsh, Journey to the West, and A Dream of Red Mansions. Those works enjoy a high reputation throughout the world. All of them have been adapted into films and TV series.

Romance of Three Kingdoms is the earliest complete historical novel in China. The author Luo Guanzhong lived in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. This novel was written on the basis of historical records and the stories about the three kingdoms that circulatedin public. It focuses on military and political rivalry between the kingdoms of Wei, Shu and Wu, which reflect the upheavals of the time. In the novel, the author successfully created a number of impressive characters with different dispositions, such as Zhuge Liang, a superb strategist, cunning and suspicious Cao Cao, loyal and brave Guan Yu, rash(轻率的) and reckless Zhang Fei, etc. 

Outlaws of the Marsh is a novel about a peasant rebellion. The author Shi Nai'an lived in the late Yuan and early Ming dynasties. Shi created this novel based on popular stories about a peasant rebellion led by Song Jiang in the late Song Dynasty. It describes the rise and fall of the peasant rebellion in the area of the Liangshan Mountain in Shandong Province, reflecting the social reality of rebellion of civilians driven by persecution of officials. The novel successfully depicts 108 heroes and praises their dauntless acts. Stories like “Wu Song Strikes a Tiger” and “Lu Zhishen Pulls Out a Willow Tree” are familiar to all Chinese people.

Journey to the West is a renowned mythical novel. The author Wu Cheng’en of the Ming Dynasty wrote this book on the basis of stories about Xuan Zang, a monk of the Tang Dynasty who traveled to India in the face of many difficulties to learn the Buddhist scriptures.The author created a cast of capable figures like Monkey, Pig and Sandy who escort and protect the Buddhist priest on the way to the West. They subdue all kinds of demons during the journey and survive 81 calamities to eventually bring back the scriptures. Monkey is clever and brave, and possesses great power. He shows no fear in the face of heavenly gods or sinister monsters. The spirit in fighting against oppression as depicted in the book is what readers admire most. The novel is full of fantasies that indicate the author’s powerful imagination. It has always had a tremendous impact on the Chinese people.

A Dream of Red Mansions is probably the best Chinese classic novel. The author was Cao Xueqin of the QingDynasty. Through a tragedy of romance between Jia Baoyu of a noble clan and Lin Daiyu, the novel gives an account of the history of a feudal clan from its heyday to its final collapse. There are more than 400 vividly depicted characters in the novel, like Wang Xifeng, Xue Baochai and Qing Wen. With its fascinating stories and superb language, ADream of Red Mansions has reached the summit of the Chinese classic novels,and has an important position in the world literature.

Abridged and revised from

http://www.hwjyw.com/zhwh/Common_Knowledge/China_culture/200906/t20090629_29751.shtml