Novel Sequel Historical Development

Sequels to novels are an important cultural phenomenon in ancient China. This paper suggests that the first step to study this phenomenon is to draw the demarcation lines for a sequel's content and scope; and it analyses the demarcating criteria and judging bases for the conception of a sequel. First, with the consideration of the complicated process of a sequel's formation and development, the historical and developing factors should be the important reference basis; and secondly, the variety of sequels and the association and difference among them should be taken into consideration as well. The scope of the sequel study should include writings in classical Chinese and vernacular as well. It is indicated in the paper that the main criterion in judging a sequel is if there exists any continuation in time settings between the sequel and the original. This paper also considers sequels from three different aspects ------one, the interdependence between the sequel and the original, which reflects a sense of awareness of the author in writing a sequel; two, the degree of flourishing sequels and their achievements in ideas and arts; three, the independent awareness and the creative awareness reflected in the sequel. Two dominant phenomena in the history of Chinese sequels are covered in the paper ------the gradual closer relationship between the sequel and the original and the gradual deteriorating creativity in the sequel. On the basis of the above analysis, the paper concludes that the development of sequels can be classified as three periods, namely the initial period, the flourishing period and the deteriorating period. Sequels of the initial period typically imitate the form or the content of the original, while, at the same time, they show the free creativity not restricted by the original. The representative works of this period are writings in classical Chinese. Sequels in the flourishing period have the characteristics of expressing the author's philosophical ideas, political viewpoints and attitudes towards social customs and ethics. The awareness of writing a sequel has indicated an obvious enhancement in this period. In sequels written in the final deteriorating period comments concerning the original are typical features of this period. Some sequels bearing connection to grassroots aesthetic standards of the time are reasonably well developed, whereas the sequels written in the period of "new novels"in the late Qing Dynasty indicate the end of sequels of ancient novels. On the basis of the study of the representative sequels from the Tang Dynasty to the end of Qing Dynasty, from such different perspectives as the spirit of traditional culture, the viewpoint of the novel and its changes, the factors of trade and commerce, the psychology of the reader and the distribution of the novel, this paper seeks to present an objective cultural judgment about Chinese sequels.