Part Three, Chapter Seven

On the Creation of “Legendary Novels”

I. Definition of Legendary Novels

A legendary novel is a type of fiction characterized primarily by strange, mysterious, or surreal plots. It usually depicts heroic figures, supernatural phenomena, unusual romances, or peculiar social anecdotes, and carries strong dramatic tension and imagination.
This type of novel originated from the “Tang People’s Legends” (唐人傳奇) during the Tang Dynasty in China. Later, it developed different forms in the Song and Yuan storybooks (話本) and the Ming and Qing chaptered novels (章回小說). In modern times, it has evolved into variants such as new-style martial arts (新派武俠), fantasy novels (奇幻小說), and supernatural novels (靈異小說).

Modern legendary novels emphasize narrative techniques more heavily and may integrate social issues, historical backgrounds, political allegories, and other elements, giving the story contemporary significance.

Examples:

• Ancient Legendary Novels:
  • Liu Yi Zhuan (柳毅傳) — narrates a fantastic love story where the scholar Liu Yi rescues a dragon maiden.
  • Qiu Ran Ke Zhuan (虬髯客傳) — depicts a martial hero of exceptional skill, involving historical and political conspiracies.

• Modern Legendary Novels:
  • Jin Yong’s The Legend of the Condor Heroes (金庸《射鵰英雄傳》) — combines historical backgrounds, martial arts legends, and the spirit of wuxia.
  • Zhang Dachun’s City-State Gangsters (張大春《城邦暴力團》) — uses the legendary form to explore social power struggles and gangster culture.

II. Themes of Legendary Novels

Although legendary novels emphasize strange and unusual stories, they often contain deeper social, cultural, political, or human themes.

1. The Rise of Heroes and the Spirit of Martial Chivalry:
   Through legendary characters, these stories depict how individuals survive in chaotic times and embody chivalric ideals or struggle against fate.

• Example: Water Margin (《水滸傳》) describes 108 heroes rebelling against a corrupt government.

1. Supernatural and Spiritual Worlds:
   Using ghosts, deities, and demons as subjects, these novels explore life and death, destiny, and karmic retribution.

• Example: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (《聊齋志異》) contains numerous stories examining human-ghost coexistence, loyalty, and betrayal.

1. Social Critique and Power Struggles:
   Strange tales reflect social injustice or allegorically represent political conspiracies and power operations.

• Example: Eileen Chang’s Love in a Fallen City (張愛玲《傾城之戀》) uses a wartime setting to symbolize love and survival crises in old society.

1. Love and Fate:
   These novels portray extraordinary romances between male and female protagonists, often with tragic or mysterious destinies.

• Example: A Chinese Ghost Story (《倩女幽魂》) narrates a poignant love story between a scholar and a ghost.

1. Interweaving History and Fantasy:
   Based on historical settings, they incorporate surreal or magical elements, adapting historical events or legends.

• Example: Ma Boyong’s The Twelve Hours of Chang’an (馬伯庸《長安十二時辰》) takes Tang Dynasty Chang’an as the backdrop, blending suspense and detective elements.

III. Characteristics of Legendary Novels

1. Strangeness and Fantastical Elements:
   Plots often involve mysterious, surreal, or incredible traits, such as legends of gods, demons, prophecies, or supernatural omens.

• Example: Investiture of the Gods (《封神演義》) merges Shang and Zhou history with mythology, full of fantastical elements.

1. Strong Dramatic Tension and Rising Action:
   Events frequently fluctuate with suspense, including thrilling scenes, coincidences, and adventures.

• Example: In Jin Yong’s novels, the narrative often follows the pattern: “The protagonist faces grave danger — encounters a remarkable person — learns unparalleled martial arts — successfully reverses fate.”

1. Heroic Characterization:
   Protagonists often possess extraordinary abilities, strong personalities, and exceptional destinies, and they transform themselves and the world through their struggles.

• Example: Li Shengnan (厲勝男) in Cloud Sea and Jade Bow Fate (《雲海玉弓緣》) is a tragic heroine with martial prowess.

1. Profound Meaning, Rich in Culture and Philosophy:
   Legendary novels are not merely for entertainment; they often contain life philosophies, moral reflections, or social critique.

• Example: Journey to the West (《西遊記》) is not just a tale of gods and demons; it also embodies Buddhist and Daoist thought, serving as a metaphor for life cultivation.

Conclusion

The core of legendary novels lies in “strangeness” and “unusualness,” but they are not limited to merely bizarre stories. Through a fantastical exterior, they explore profound issues of human nature, society, history, and destiny.
From ancient Tang-era legends to modern wuxia, supernatural, and fantasy novels, this spirit continues, enabling stories to entertain while also provoking thought and emotional resonance in readers.

IV. Famous Types of “Legendary Novels” and Illustrative Analysis

The expressive types of legendary novels are diverse, encompassing categories such as strange fantasy, supernatural and ghostly tales, chivalric martial arts, historical legends, and social anecdotes. They often integrate elements of the supernatural, chance encounters, destiny, adventure, and political critique.

1. Expressive Types of Legendary Novels

1. Supernatural and Spiritual Type — centers on ghosts, deities, demons, karmic retribution, and the yin-yang world, exploring philosophies of life, death, and fate.
2. Chivalric and Martial Arts Type — focuses on knights-errant and righteous heroes, depicting martial rivalries, loyalty and righteousness, and heroic legends.
3. Historical Legend Type — based on real historical events, incorporating fantasy, conspiracies, or metaphors, adapting historical incidents or figures.
4. Romantic Fantasy Type — centers on extraordinary love stories, including human-ghost love, human-demon love, and entanglements of destiny.
5. Social Anecdotes and Human Affairs Type — uses peculiar events or strange phenomena to reflect social realities or critique power structures.
6. Exotic Adventure and Fantasy Type — focuses on foreign wonders, mysterious civilizations, and surreal journeys, presenting fantastical worldviews.

2. Analysis and Examples of Famous Legendary Novels by Type

(1) Supernatural and Spiritual Type

• Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (《聊齋志異》) — Pu Songling (蒲松齡)
  • Story Content: A collection of short stories featuring ghosts, fox spirits, human-demon romances, and karmic tales.
  • Representative Chapters:
    • Painted Skin (《畫皮》) — depicts that human hearts can be scarier than ghosts.
    • Nie Xiaoqian (《聶小倩》) — portrays the poignant love between a human and a ghost.

  • Characteristics: Focuses on supernatural beings but emphasizes revealing human nature, social injustice, and ethical morality.

• Zi Bu Yu (《子不語》) — Yuan Mei (袁枚)
  • Story Content: Similar to Strange Tales, records supernatural events across various regions, such as ghosts, immortals, and strange phenomena.
  • Representative Chapters:
    • The Poetry Ghost of Du Xunhe (《杜荀鶴詩鬼》) — recounts the strange event of a ghost composing poetry, highlighting the poet’s talent intertwined with the supernatural.

  • Characteristics: Refined writing, attention to detail, stories combining horror and philosophical reflection, challenging the Confucian taboo “子不語怪力亂神” (Do not speak of strange forces and disorderly spirits).

• The Tale of the Bearded Guest (《虬髯客傳》) — Du Guangting (杜光庭, Tang Dynasty)
  • Story Content: Follows a highly skilled martial hero who helps Li Shimin seize the throne but chooses to leave for a distant land to realize his ideal state.
  • Characteristics: Combines history and martial arts spirit, creating an extraordinary chivalric image.

• The Legend of the Condor Heroes (《射鵰英雄傳》) — Jin Yong (金庸)
  • Story Content: Set in the Southern Song Dynasty, narrates Guo Jing’s growth into a great hero, embroiled in martial world conflicts and family-national rivalries.
  • Characteristics: Integrates history, chivalric ideals, and martial world legends, emphasizing the knightly responsibility to family, nation, and society (“家國天下”).

• Romance of the Three Kingdoms (《三國演義》) — Luo Guanzhong (羅貫中)
  • Story Content: Based on the historical Three Kingdoms period, showcasing hero struggles to illustrate loyalty and intelligence.
  • Characteristics: Adapts historical facts, adding brilliant strategies such as “Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats” (草船借箭) and the Battle of Red Cliffs (赤壁之戰), creating legendary heroic figures.

• The Twelve Hours of Chang’an (《長安十二時辰》) — Ma Boyong (馬伯庸)
  • Story Content: Depicts political conspiracies and sudden crises occurring in Chang’an during the Tang Dynasty’s Tianbao era within twelve hours.
  • Characteristics: Combines history, suspense, and deduction, using an “escape room” style narrative to showcase the grandeur of the Tang Dynasty.

• Romance of the Western Chamber (《西廂記》) — Wang Shifu (王實甫)
  • Story Content: Depicts the love between scholar Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying, overcoming societal obstacles with the help of the matchmaker “Hongniang.”
  • Characteristics: Though lacking ghosts, it contains elements of chance encounters and challenges the feudal view of love.

• A Chinese Ghost Story (《倩女幽魂》) — Adapted from Strange Tales
  • Story Content: Scholar Ning Caichen falls in love with the ghost Nie Xiaoqian; they overcome demons, allowing Xiaoqian to reincarnate.
  • Characteristics: A romantic tragedy between a human and ghost, showing that “true love can transcend the boundaries of life and death.”

• The Scholars (《儒林外史》) — Wu Jingzi (吳敬梓)
  • Story Content: Satirically portrays scholars under the imperial examination system, revealing corruption and absurdities in officialdom.
  • Characteristics: Uses humor to depict real social conditions; belongs to the “human affairs legend” category.

• City-State Gangsters (《城邦暴力團》) — Zhang Dachun (張大春)
  • Story Content: Set in a fictional city-state, explores gangs, political-business corruption, with allegorical qualities.
  • Characteristics: Uses the legendary form to interpret modern society, combining political critique with martial world culture.

• Investiture of the Gods (《封神演義》) — Ming Dynasty Novel
  • Story Content: Narrates the divine and demonic wars during the Shang-Zhou transition and how the mandate of heaven alters history.
  • Characteristics: Features numerous immortals and monsters, rich in fantasy, influencing later fantasy novel creation.

• Ghost Blows Out the Light (《鬼吹燈》) — Tianxia Bachang (天下霸唱)
  • Story Content: Centers on tomb-robbing, blending legend, supernatural, and fantasy elements in a series of adventures.
  • Characteristics: Integrates historical archaeology, folk ghosts and spirits, and supernatural adventure, establishing a modern style of fantasy-adventure novels.

(2) Chivalric and Martial Arts Type

(3) Historical Legend Type

(4) Romantic Fantasy Type

(5) Social Anecdotes and Human Affairs Type

(6) Exotic Adventure and Fantasy Type

Conclusion

The types of legendary novels are abundant, ranging from supernatural and spiritual tales to chivalric legends, from historical adaptations to romantic and bizarre anecdotes. All types share the core of “strangeness” and use their narratives to convey human nature, history, society, and cultural issues. These novels not only provide entertainment but also reflect reality, serving as a vital medium for readers to understand their era, emotions, and values.

 

V. Analysis of Common Narrative Methods and Plot Structures in Famous Legendary Novels

Legendary novels center on the concept of “strangeness” (奇) and employ diverse narrative techniques. Common narrative methods include first-person perspective, third-person omniscient perspective, third-person limited perspective, and even frame narratives (stories nested within stories). Plot structures often rely on chance encounters, twists, karmic retribution, and fantastical contrasts, emphasizing dramatic development and the intervention of supernatural elements.

I. Common Narrative Methods and Points of View in Legendary Novels

1. First-Person Narrative (Subjective Perspective, Strong Immersion)

Characteristics: Narration is delivered through the protagonist or a witness, enhancing the sense of presence and realism. Suitable for supernatural tales and chivalric novels, allowing readers to become fully immersed.

Examples:

• Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (《聊齋志異》) — Pu Songling (蒲松齡)
  • Many chapters use first-person narration, such as the author stating “我親眼所見” (“I saw with my own eyes”) or “某友所述” (“as a certain friend recounted”), increasing authenticity and a mysterious atmosphere.
  • Si Wenlang (《司文郎》) narrates the fox spirit events from a witness’s perspective, making readers believe in the story’s reality.

• Ghost Blows Out the Light (《鬼吹燈》) — Tianxia Bachang (天下霸唱)
  • The protagonist Hu Bayi records his experiences in a “tomb-robbing diary” (盜墓筆記) style, allowing readers to experience the horror and strangeness through his perspective.

2. Third-Person Omniscient Perspective (Narrator Knows All, Access to All Characters’ Minds)

Characteristics: The narrator can enter the minds of various characters, providing complete story backgrounds and motivations. Suitable for epic legends and martial arts novels.

Examples:

• Romance of the Three Kingdoms (《三國演義》) — Luo Guanzhong (羅貫中)
  • Uses omniscient perspective to narrate the strategies and emotions of heroic figures. For example, “劉備三顧茅廬” (“Liu Bei’s three visits to the thatched cottage”) depicts both Liu Bei’s sincerity and Zhuge Liang’s inner deliberations.
  • Freely switches between battlefields and palaces, allowing readers to grasp the full development of events.

• Investiture of the Gods (《封神演義》) — Ming Dynasty Novel
  • Describes the intertwined struggles of humans, immortals, and demons. The narrator freely shifts scenes to narrate the intersection of divine mandate and mortal fate.

3. Third-Person Limited Perspective (Follows a Specific Character, Reader Only Knows What This Character Sees and Hears)

Characteristics: Provides partial information, increasing suspense. Readers explore the unknown world alongside the protagonist.

Examples:

• The Twelve Hours of Chang’an (《長安十二時辰》) — Ma Boyong (馬伯庸)
  • Narration follows the protagonist Zhang Xiaojing, allowing readers to solve puzzles and experience tense time-limit pressure alongside him.

• A Chinese Ghost Story (《倩女幽魂》) — Adapted from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio
  • The limited perspective allows readers to follow scholar Ning Caichen as he explores an ancient temple, gradually uncovering the secrets of the ghost Nie Xiaoqian, enhancing suspense and terror.

4. Frame Narrative (Stories Nested Within Stories, Enhancing Realism and Narrative Layers)

Characteristics: An outer story surrounds multiple inner stories, usually recorded by a storyteller or scholar, adding an oral storytelling quality.

Examples:

• Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (《聊齋志異》)
  • Pu Songling acts as the recorder. Sometimes stories are introduced by “聽人言” (“as someone said”), e.g., Painted Skin (《畫皮》) begins with “某人所言” (“as someone reported”), emphasizing the authenticity of hearsay.

• One Thousand and One Nights (《天方夜譚》) — Arabic Legendary Novel
  • Through the frame of “One Thousand and One Nights,” stories intertwine, such as The Adventures of Sinbad (辛巴達航海記) embedded within multiple adventure stories inside the overarching frame.

II. Plot Structures of Legendary Novels

1. Adventure and Chance Encounter Pattern (Ordinary People Change Their Fate Due to Unexpected Encounters)

Example: The Tale of the Bearded Hero (《虬髯客傳》)

• The protagonist Li Jing encounters the chivalrous hero Bearded Hero (虬髯客), unexpectedly becoming involved in the struggle over the Tang dynasty’s realm, ultimately achieving a historical legend.

Example: Investiture of the Gods (《封神演義》)

• Jiang Ziya, originally a mortal, becomes a key figure in the Investiture of the Gods plan due to fate, undergoing various adventures and confrontations with gods and demons.

2. Cause-and-Effect / Karma Pattern (Good and Evil Are Repaid, Reincarnation Retribution)

Example: Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio (《聊齋志異》)

• Painted Skin (《畫皮》) describes a scholar who, due to his lust for beauty, is harmed by a demon, warning people not to be deceived by appearances.

Example: Zi Bu Yu (《子不語》)

• Multiple stories depict evil people suffering supernatural retribution, such as corrupt officials turning into ghosts after death and being despised by later generations.

3. Conspiracy and Struggle Pattern (Power Struggles, Martial Vendettas)

Example: Romance of the Three Kingdoms (《三國演義》)

• Various factions contend for power, with wisdom and authority intertwining. For instance, the “Empty Fort Strategy” (空城計) demonstrates Zhuge Liang’s intelligence.

Example: City-State Violence Syndicate (《城邦暴力團》)

• Set in a fictional city-state, gangs and political-business forces compete openly and secretly, depicting the dark side of power operations.

4. Human-Ghost Romance and Fate Entanglement Pattern (Fantastical Love, Tragedy Across Life and Death)

Example: Nie Xiaoqian (《聶小倩》, Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio)

• A scholar falls in love with a ghost; after numerous trials, the story concludes with either liberation or tragedy.

Example: Romance of the Western Chamber (《西廂記》)

• Zhang Sheng and Cui Yingying fall in love due to destiny, but face societal obstacles, ultimately achieving their desire.

Summary

Legendary novels employ flexible and diverse narrative techniques. They may use first-person narration to immerse readers directly, third-person omniscient perspective to provide a full overview, or frame narratives to add layers of storytelling. The plot structures primarily revolve around adventure and chance encounters, cause-and-effect retribution, conspiracies and struggles, and fantastical romance, emphasizing dramatic tension, mystery, and strangeness. This makes the stories both captivating and rich in symbolic meaning.

 

VI. How to Write an Engaging Legendary Novel

Legendary novels center on “奇” (the wondrous or the extraordinary), integrating elements of adventure, fantasy, mystery, cause-and-effect retribution, and conspiratorial struggles, leading readers into a world beyond reality. A successful legendary novel, beyond its fantastical elements, also requires a tight plot, vivid characters, carefully designed conflicts, and layered narrative techniques. The following is a complete guide to writing a legendary novel.

(A) Establish the Core Theme and Story Concept

Before writing, first consider: “What does this novel aim to convey?” Is it exploring human nature and destiny? Depicting rivalries and vendettas in the martial world? Or adventures in a fantastical realm?

1. Determine the story type (for example: chivalric legend, ghostly legend, fantasy legend, historical legend).
2. Set the story’s “奇” point (the wondrous element), such as chance encounters, supernatural beings, retribution, or mysterious figures.
3. Theme and allegory: for example, “善惡有報” (good and evil are repaid), “命運無常” (the unpredictability of fate), “宿命與抗爭” (fate and resistance).
4. Record of the Soul Guided by the Green Lantern (《青燈引魂錄》):

(B) Example Titles

• A scholar with amnesia spends a night in an ancient temple, lights a green lantern, and is henceforth forced to traverse between the realms of yin and yang, seeking to unravel the curse of his past life…

2. Construct a Captivating Worldview and Setting

The background of a legendary novel can be a historical era, an imagined world, or even a mysterious alternate space. The worldview should be unique, yet logically consistent, allowing readers to immerse themselves fully.

Set the story background:

• Time: Ancient, medieval, modern?
• Place: Traditional Chinese villages, mysterious palaces, mountains inhabited by demons?
• Social structure: Imperial court, sects, martial world powers, foreign cultures?
• Rules and mystical elements: Are there monsters, ghosts, deities? Are there “laws” in effect, e.g., “the yin-yang realms cannot intersect”?

Example:

• In Record of the Soul Guided by the Green Lantern, the story is set in the Tang dynasty. The protagonist resides in an inn that disappears every night. Anyone entering sees memories of their past life but cannot leave unless they discover the true owner of the “green lantern”…

3. Create Vivid Characters and Fate Entanglements

(A) Vivid Characters

(1) Protagonist (hero or tragic figure)

• Often an ordinary person who, due to a chance encounter, becomes involved in legendary events.
• May be a chivalrous warrior, scholar, fugitive, or even a monster or ghost.
• Possesses clear inner motivations, such as revenge, seeking truth, or breaking a curse.

(2) Antagonist (nemesis or mysterious entity)

• Could be an evil Taoist, a mysterious person hiding the truth, or a ghostly demon.
• Possesses strong objectives, such as seizing a secret treasure, controlling destiny, or creating chaos.
• If the antagonist has inner conflicts, such as personal struggles or a tragic background, they gain additional depth.

(3) Supporting Characters (allies and obstacles)

• Mysterious masters, chivalrous friends, peculiar storytellers.
• Supporting characters should drive the plot, not merely serve as decoration.

(B) Example Character Settings

(1) Protagonist: Li Zhixing (a scholar) — sees in the green lantern of the inn the memory of being wronged in his past life and begins seeking the truth.
(2) Antagonist: Daoist in Green Robe — of unknown origin, seemingly possessing knowledge of all deceased souls’ pasts.
(3) Supporting Character: Girl Ah-Ying — a self-proclaimed ghost bride, apparently intertwined with the protagonist in countless mysterious ways.

 

4. Crafting a Suspenseful and Twisting Plot Structure

(A) Suspenseful and Twisting Plot

(1) Beginning — Introduction of a “奇異事件” (wondrous or strange event)

• Start with an ordinary scenario in which the protagonist inadvertently becomes involved in a strange incident.
• For example: discovering a bizarre book, encountering a mysterious old man, or entering an uncanny location.

(2) Development — “Fate Entanglement and Dilemma”

• The protagonist realizes they cannot escape the event and is forced to embark on a journey to solve the mystery or flee.
• Introduce “countdown” pressure, for instance: “Must recover past-life memories within seven days, or the soul will be destroyed.”
• Encounter the first major plot twist, e.g.: a seemingly “good person” turns out to be the one causing harm.

(3) Twist — “Reversal and Revelation of Truth”

• Let readers discover that once all clues are pieced together, the underlying story is completely different from the initial understanding.
• For example: “It turns out the antagonist was the one who saved me back then, and I am actually the true culprit.”

(4) Conclusion — “Climactic Confrontation and Ending”

• The protagonist faces a choice: accept destiny or break free from fate?
• The ending may involve victory, sacrifice, reincarnation, transcendence, or even an open ending.

(B) Sample Plot Outline (Record of the Soul Guided by the Green Lantern, 《青燈引魂錄》)

1. Scholar Li Zhixing stays overnight at an inn; after lighting the green lantern, he dreams of being wrongfully executed.
2. Each night, he enters the dream world, witnessing different “pasts,” and discovers that the ghosts in the inn are all connected to him.
3. By breaking the taboos imposed by the ghosts, he discovers that he was the last survivor of the “sacrificial ritual” years ago.
4. The Daoist in Green Robe appears and tells him: “You are the true source of the curse…”
5. Li Zhixing must choose: continue seeking the truth, or sacrifice himself to save the other spirits.

5. Mastering Language Style and Narrative Techniques

(1) Choose the narrative perspective

• First-person: enhances immersion; suitable for suspenseful and strange tales.
• Third-person limited: allows readers to explore the truth alongside the protagonist, maintaining mystery.
• Third-person omniscient: allows insight into multiple forces’ movements, increasing plot tension.

(2) Employ classical or literary Chinese style to enhance the legendary feel

• “夜風起，燈火搖曳，陰影在牆上綽綽浮動，如幽魂低語。”
  → “The night wind rises, the lantern flickers, shadows float lightly on the wall, like whispering ghosts.”
• “他低頭望向燈火，恍惚間，自己竟似乎站在數百年前的斷頭臺上……”
  → “He lowered his gaze toward the lantern light; in a daze, he seemed to be standing on the scaffold from hundreds of years ago…”

(3) Atmosphere creation: detailed description and symbolic imagery

• Utilize imagery such as “lamp,” “mirror,” “shadow,” and “door” to enhance the sense of mystery.
• Use detailed depictions to reinforce the atmosphere, e.g.: “The light reflected on his face, half bright, half in darkness…”

Conclusion: Create a Journey of Wonder!

Writing a legendary novel means crafting an extraordinary adventure that amazes readers. By mastering the four core elements — “奇異事件” (strange events), “intense conflict,” “suspenseful twists,” and “fate entanglements” — while adding refined character development and atmospheric world-building, your novel can captivate readers deeply, becoming an unforgettable work of legend!