Includes bibliographical references (p. 243-259) and index.

Introduction : theory of fiction : a Chinese perspective -- Ch. 1. Chinese notions of fiction -- Ch. 2. The nature of (Chinese) fiction -- Ch. 3. The aesthetic turn in Chinese fiction -- Ch. 4. The poetic nature of Chinese fiction -- Ch. 5. The art of the Jin Ping Mei : poetics of pure fiction -- Ch. 6. The art of the Hongloumeng : poetic fiction and open fiction -- Ch. 7. Theory of fiction : a Chinese system -- Conclusion : toward a transcultural theory of fiction.

"In this innovative work, Ming Dong Gu examines Chinese literature and traditional Chinese criticism to construct a distinctly Chinese theory of fiction and places it within the context of international fiction theory. He argues that because Chinese fiction, or xiaoshuo, was produced in a tradition very different from that of the West, it has formed a system of fiction theory that cannot be adequately accounted for by Western fiction theory grounded in mimesis and realism."--BOOK JACKET.