These novels had diverse writing styles. Some were written in a more vernacular style which made them accessible to a wider range of readers. They also often incorporated elements of Chinese history, mythology, and folklore, creating rich and vivid fictional worlds.
Many 17th - century Chinese novels were influenced by Confucian values. They usually carried moral lessons within the stories. Some novels like 'Journey to the West' were full of allegories and philosophical ideas related to these values.
The modern characteristics of the 20th-century Chinese literature were manifested in many aspects: The relationship between literature and society: In the 20th century, the relationship between literature and society became increasingly close. Literature began to pay attention to social reality, reflect social conditions, and explore social problems. For example," Dream of the Red Chamber " depicted the dark reality of feudal society," Water Margins " reflected the sufferings of the peasant class, and " Journey to the West " explored the good and evil of human nature and moral issues. 2. Changes in literary forms: In the 20th century, Chinese literature continued to create new literary forms to adapt to the needs of social change. For example, after the New Culture Movement, Chinese literature began to use the vernacular form to make literary works more understandable. At the same time, the forms of modern novels were also constantly developing, such as modernism, post-modernism, etc. 3. The emergence of literary schools: In the 20th century Chinese literature, there were many literary schools such as realism, realism, romanticism, etc. These literary schools had a profound influence on the development of Chinese literature in different times and backgrounds. The development of literary criticism: In the 20th century, literary criticism gradually developed in Chinese literature. Critists began to pay attention to the internal mechanism of literary works and had a positive impact on the development of Chinese literature. 5. The relationship between literature and the trend of thought of the world: In the 20th century, Chinese literature began to be associated with the trend of thought of the world. Literature works began to discuss international issues and pay attention to international cultural differences, reflecting the attention of Chinese literature to the world. At the same time, Chinese literature also began to enter the international market and become an important part of world literature.
Well, many 18th and 19th century novels were highly moralistic. Novels like 'Oliver Twist' by Charles Dickens aimed to expose the social ills of the time, such as poverty and child exploitation. The settings were often based on real - life locations of that era, which added authenticity. The narrative style was typically linear, guiding the reader through a series of events in a more or less chronological order. And they frequently explored themes of class struggle, as society was very stratified during those centuries.
One characteristic is the exploration of complex social issues. For example, in Charles Dickens' novels of the 19th century like 'Oliver Twist', he exposed the harshness of the Victorian poor laws and the plight of the working class. In the 20th century, novels such as George Orwell's '1984' delved into totalitarianism and the loss of individual freedoms. Another aspect is the development of different literary styles. The 19th century saw the rise of the realist novel, with detailed descriptions of daily life. The 20th century then branched out into modernist and post - modernist styles, which often experimented with narrative structure and the concept of time.
These novels typically explored social issues. In the 18th and 19th centuries, there were big changes in society. Novels were a way to show things like class differences. Dickens' works, such as 'Oliver Twist', showed the harshness of the lower classes' lives compared to the rich.
One characteristic was the use of elaborate language. Writers in these centuries were fond of detailed descriptions. Also, many 17th and 18th century novels focused on character development. Take 'Robinson Crusoe' for instance. We see how Crusoe changes from a young, reckless man to a more self - reliant and resourceful one over the course of his time on the island.
For the top 100 Chinese novels of the 20th century, you can refer to the following list: 1 Dream of the Red Chamber-Qing Dynasty 2 Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty 4 Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty 5 The Scholars-Qing Dynasty 6 Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty 7 Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty 8. The Plum in the Golden Vase-Ming Dynasty 9 Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty 11 The Scholars-Qing Dynasty Dream of the Red Chamber-Qing Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty 16 Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty Legend of the White Snake-Yuan Dynasty Dream of the Red Chamber-Qing Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty 22 The Scholars-Qing Dynasty Jin Ping Mei (Ming Dynasty) 24 Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty 28 The Scholars-Qing Dynasty Dream of the Red Chamber-Qing Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty Legend of the White Snake-Yuan Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty The Plum in the Golden Vase-Ming Dynasty Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty Dream of the Red Chamber-Qing Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty Legend of the White Snake-Yuan Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty The Plum in the Golden Vase-Ming Dynasty Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty Dream of the Red Chamber-Qing Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty The Plum in the Golden Vase-Ming Dynasty Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty Legend of the White Snake-Yuan Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty The Plum in the Golden Vase-Ming Dynasty Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty Dream of the Red Chamber-Qing Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty The Plum in the Golden Vase-Ming Dynasty Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty Dream of the Red Chamber-Qing Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty Jin Ping Mei (Ming Dynasty) Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio-Tang Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty Romance of the Three Kingdoms-Ming Dynasty Journey to the West-Yuan Dynasty The Scholars-Qing Dynasty Dream of the Red Chamber-Qing Dynasty Water Margins-Ming Dynasty
The 18th century saw novels that were character-driven, with detailed descriptions of people's lives and emotions. They often reflected the changing social and cultural landscape of the time, and were sometimes influenced by Enlightenment ideas.
18th-century novels often focused on social issues and moral lessons. They were usually written in a more realistic style and explored the lives of various classes of society.
Well, 19th century novels typically had a strong sense of place. They made you feel like you were really in that era and location. There was a focus on realism too. Authors were trying to represent life as it really was. Take 'War and Peace' by Tolstoy. It gives an in - depth look at Russian society during that time. The length of these novels could also be quite long as authors had a lot to say about society, characters, and the human condition.
19th-century novels often had complex plots and well-developed characters. They also tended to reflect social and moral issues of the time.