Narrative-Oriented Novels of Shen Congwen and Their Significance in Contemporary Literary History

After the May 4th Movement of 1919,Chinese novelists tended to discard the plot-centered tradition of novel writing,making their novels as dry as dust.Such a tendency Shen Congwen resisted vigorously,taking plot as an essential element in a novel.He not only emphasized the importance of narrative techniques in his own novels,but also criticized others by the same standard,which promoted the development of modern Chinese novels.