Narrative" Features in Huang Shi-zhong's Historical Novels

Huang Shi-zhong (1872-1912), a renowned contemporary novelist, has left behind about twenty novels, for which he has been crowned as master of revolutionary By analyzing his first reputed novel--The Historical Novel of Hong Xiu-quan, this paper attempts to touch on some issues related to his historical novels from three aspects. It is believed that the novel, which is based on historical facts with its characters modeled on historical figures, is tinted with features of historical novels. Moreover, thanks to its particularities in the narrative mode, the novel has created an unprecedented epic narrative text in the history of Chinese literature, thus having inherited from the tradition of classical Chinese novels as well as ushered in some new techniques. Besides, in terms of characterization, the novel has managed to strike a balance between facts and fiction, as is evident in the writer's avoidance of the stereotyped method of characterization in the traditional novels and in his revelation of the transformation of characters' personality--a striking contrast to many novels in the late Qing Dynasty.