Study of Chinese Novels

Since this book is named A Study of Chinese Novels, of course, it talks about Chinese novels and sets a definition for Chinese novels.However, old Chinese literature didn't take novels seriously.Although, the word "e;novel"e; already existed two thousand years ago, what people regarded as novels in ancient times cannot be regarded as novels now. What we regard as novels now didn't exist in ancient times.(We say there were no novels in ancient times but it doesn't mean there were no novels in ancient times at all; they were just not called novels and in the form slightly different from that of the novels at present.) In this way, it is easy to define.