Reader-response Criticism of Image of Genghis Khan in Legends of the Condor Heroes

Abstract

Genghis Khan is a great statesman and strategist in Chinese history, who has made outstanding contributions to the unification and development of China and exerted great influences on many countries or regions in Europe and Asia. The images of Genghis Khan presented in different historical records and literary works are completely different in the eyes of readers. His image presents to be a national hero, a benevolent Lord, an aggressor and a tyrant, which is full of controversy. In 2018, Legends of the Condor Heroes (English translation), one of the most famous masterpieces of Chinese martial arts novels, was published in the UK for the first time, attracting the attention of Western readers to Chinese martial arts novels. Genghis Khan, as one of the main characters in the novel, caught the eyes of readers again. Based on the theory of Reader-response criticism, this paper attempts to interpret the image of Genghis Khan in Legends of the Condor Heroes, and excavate his image connotation from another perspective.