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 21th century, they are not to be confused
with the
Four Books of
Confucianism.
Four Great Classics
The Four
Great Classical Novels 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:
History
The original concept of the Four Great Classical Novels ( ) was
already established by the Late-Ming, 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.