Chinese Journal of Literary Criticism

No.3, 2018 

The Narrative Grammar of Chinese Online Fantasy Novel

(Abstract)

Li Yangquan and He Liu

There are a large number of Chinese online fantasy novels. The stories are similar. Their plots follow the formula of “the protagonist becomes stronger for some reasons.” In fantasy novels, protagonists constantly struggle to become stronger and the fallrise pattern is widely adopted, which forms a narrative loop and a spiraling narrative sequence. Human effort and destiny constitute a basic contradiction; protagonists go against nature, become kings or heroes, and defeat fate. However, the illusion of changing fate with the help of “golden fingers” is essentially a compromise to reality. Although it is only fantasy, the social significance aroused from the inspirational spirit in fantasy novels cannot be ignored.