A Critical Response to Western Critics’ Controversial Viewpoints on Chinese Traditional Narrative and Fiction Criticism

Abstract

ABSTRACT Western scholars of Chinese narrative concern themselves with many areas of traditional Chinese narrative and fiction criticism. Yet studies of the basic concepts of Chinese narrative categorized in both Chinese context and Western contexts attest their different points of departure. Chinese narrative is, to some degree, heterogeneous when compared to most of Western narrative theories. Western scholars’ evaluation of Chinese narrative leaves no doubt that Western narrative theories can partly fit in with modern Chinese narrative, but less with the studies of traditional Chinese narrative. In this sense, a fairly coherent interpretation of Chinese narrative can be made based on Chinese narrative tradition rather than Western theoretical assumptions. Through a brief review of Western scholars’ viewpoints on traditional Chinese narrative, fiction criticism and the relationship between Buddhism and Chinese narrative tradition, the author examines the differentiation of the speciality of Chinese narrative from that of Western narrative theories.