Four Great Classical Novels
The Four Great Classical Novels, or the Four Major Classical Novels of Chinese literature, are the four novels commonly counted by scholars to be the greatest and most influential of classical Chinese fiction. Well known to most Chinese readers of the 21st century, they are not to be confused with the Four Books of Confucianism.
The works are considered to be the pinnacle of China's achievement in classical novels, influencing the creation of many stories, theater, movies, games, and other entertainment throughout East Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.
In chronological order, they are:
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms (14th century) more recently translated as, simply, Three Kingdoms
- Written by Luo Guanzhong in the 14th century, is a Chinese historical novel based upon events in the turbulent years near the end of the Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms era of China, starting in 169 and ending with the reunification of the land in 280.
- Romance of the Three Kingdoms is acclaimed as one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature; it has a total of 800,000 words and nearly a thousand dramatic characters (mostly historical) in 120 chapters. It is arguably the most widely read historical novel in late imperial and modern China
- Water Margin also known as Outlaws of the Marsh (14th century)
- Also known as Outlaws of the Marsh, All Men Are Brothers, Men of the Marshes, or The Marshes of Mount Liang is one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature. Attributed to Shi Naian, the novel details the trials and tribulations of 108 outlaws during the Song Dynasty period of Chinese history.
- Journey to the West (16th century)
- Originally published anonymously in the 1590s during the Ming Dynasty, its authorship has been ascribed to the scholar Wu Cheng'en since the 20th century. In English-speaking countries, the tale is also often known simply as Monkey. This was one title used for a popular, abridged translation by Arthur Waley. The Waley translation has also been published as Adventures of the Monkey God, Monkey: [A] Folk Novel of China, and The Adventures of Monkey, and in a further abridged version for children, Dear Monkey.
- The novel is a fictionalised account of the mythologized legends around the Buddhist monk Xuanzang's pilgrimage to India (known as the Western Regions) during the Tang dynasty in order to obtain Buddhist religious texts called sūtras. The Bodhisattva Guan Yin, on instruction from the Buddha, the historical founder of Buddhism, gives this task to the monk and his three protectors in the form of disciples - namely Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing - together with a dragon prince who acts as Xuanzang's steed, a white horse. These four characters have agreed to help Xuanzang as an atonement for past sins. Journey to the West has a strong background in Chinese folk religion, Chinese mythology and value systems; the pantheon of Taoist immortals and Buddhist bodhisattvas is still reflective of some Chinese folk religious beliefs today. Part of the novel's enduring popularity comes from the fact that it works on multiple levels: it is an adventure story, a dispenser of spiritual insight, and an extended allegory in which the group of pilgrims journeying toward India stands for the individual journeying toward enlightenment.
- Dream of the Red Chamber also known as The Story of the Stone, (18th century)
- The Story of the Stone, literally "Record of the Stone". Only the first 80 chapters were written by Cao Xueqin. Various authors have submitted more than 100 alternate endings, often adding 40 additional chapters to complete the novel.
- Red Chamber is believed to be semi-autobiographical, mirroring the fortunes of author Cao Xueqin's own family. As the author details in the first chapter, it is intended to be a memorial to the women he knew in his youth: friends, relatives and servants. The novel is remarkable not only for its huge cast of characters and psychological scope, but also for its precise and detailed observation of the life and social structures typical of 18th-century Chinese aristocracy
History
The original concept of the Four Great Classical Novels was already established by the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Li Yu, in an introduction to Romance of the Three Kingdoms, noted that Feng Menglong's description of the Four Great Classical Novels included Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Water Margin, Journey to the West, and Jin Ping Mei (The Plum in the Golden Vase or Golden Lotus).
After the publication of Dream of the Red Chamber, a new concept of the Four Great Classical Novels was created, replacing Jin Ping Mei with Dream of the Red Chamber.
The "Fifth" Great Classical Novel
Because of its explicit descriptions of sex, Jin Ping Mei has been banned for most of its existence. Despite this, some scholars and writers, including Lu Xun, place it among the top Chinese novels. Among literary scholars, the novel is still highly regarded. Thus it is sometimes considered to be the fifth classical novel.
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