What is a Web Novel?
A short story of the genre to let you dive in and unpack this 'new' literary genre.
What is a Web Novel?
A web-serialized novel, or, in short, a web novel, is--"the prose equivalent of Webcomics which happen to have distinct Story Arcs. An author, usually an amateur, publishes a novel in many short installments (often daily or weekly) on a website," as TvTropes describes them.
A Very Specific Terminology
In our times, ‘web novel’ mainly indicates the homonymous Chinese phenomenon that reached Western countries through Wuxiaworld, a translation website dedicated to - mostly - Chinese web novels. Their mention is mandatory because they strongly influenced the characters of their new, Western counterpart.
What is a Chinese Web Novel?
Stories that are written and published on the web, often on Chinese websites, by Chinese writers. The most famous ones are wuxia and xianxia, subgenres of fantasy that can be described as ‘Chinese martial arts fantasy’ and ‘Chinese immortals fantasy’ respectively.
Wuxia and xianxia are characterized by a strong presence of action, martial arts and, of course, fantasy elements such as magic and beasts. Wuxia heroes are often ‘ lone wolves’ who don’t belong to any sect or organization, while xianxia protagonists are often members of sects or clans that help them in their journey to become immortal.
Although both wuxia and xianxia are fantasy genres, they differ in the way they approach fantasy elements. Wuxia novels are often set in ancient China, and the fantasy elements are often used to make the stories more ‘exotic’, while xianxia novels are set in a completely fantastical world where the fantasy elements are an integral part of the story.
These novels are characterized by a simple and linear plot. The writing style is also quite straightforward, without much embellishment. In fact, they rely in no small measure on narrative devices such as an abundance of cliffhangers: in order to keep the readers engaged and invested in an extremely lengthy story, they become a necessity to pay for yet another chapter.
While only a small amount of chapters are behind a paywall for Western web novels, it’s the exact opposite for their Eastern counterpart. Without going into the nitty-gritty, in China, in order to read a new chapter of a web novel, you need to purchase a ‘ticket’, which gives you the right to read that specific chapter. The price of these tickets is usually quite low, usually around 10-20 US cents.
Their monetization system has incentivized some bad practices.
In fact, another feature that is often found in web novels is the ‘power creep.’ This is when the protagonists keep getting stronger and stronger as the story progresses, to the point where they become nearly invincible. The power creep is usually justified by the fact that the protagonists are constantly training and improving their skills - which in turn makes you pay for quite the long training arc in terms of chapters. It’s often used as a cheap way to make the story more exciting.
Finally, another common feature of web novels is the harem. This is when the protagonist is surrounded by a group of women who are all in love with him. The harem is often used as a way to add some romantic tension to the story. Once again, it’s mostly used as a cheap way to fanservice.
There are many websites that host Chinese web novels, but some of the most popular are Qidian, 17k, and Zongheng.
A Numbers’ Game, but also Censorship’s Effect
While many Chinese writers resort to cheap tactics, several great works came out of their digital ink. I don’t want to dive deep into this topic because it requires its own essay. Just know that as is, the strictly American-produced web novels, are most definitely not up to par with their Chinese counterpart.
In fact, we often forget how some of the masterpieces of Humanity came out during one of the strictest censorship periods there has even been: the Augustan era. Ovid, Virgil, and Horatius influenced Western history like few other writers [poets]. Ovid is widely agreed to have been Shakespeare’s favorite author, just to mention one - and among the three he’s the one who suffered the fiercest censorship from the newly not-actually-crowned Roman Emperor.
If you are interested in reading more about this topic, I’d recommend checking out The Subplot: What China Is Reading and Why It Matters.
Understanding the Archetypal Web Novel Protagonist - The Chinese Matrix of the Unsung Hero
It would be impossible to explain the male-dominated world of web novels without a brief overview of how Chinese Heroes shaped this literary phenomenon. In fact, even though this warrants an essay of his own, Chinese Heroes are quite different from the current narration of Japanese and Korean media, and drastically even more from the Western one. The West, like it or not, is neck-deep in Christian values; hybris [or hubris] is an Ancient Greek concept, converging in the 'excess' of the man. A man who's guilty of hybris is a man who cannot rein in his sins anymore, letting them brim over from his soul. You can sum it up as 'don't ever be in excess of anything but faith or piety.' A Chinese Hero is excess personified in every regard, from arrogance to violence. To what extent this type of protagonist makes the success of the genre is hard to say, but let's see where it originated from.
The typical Chinese protagonist is an authoritarian, strong, and fundamentally isolated figure whose predecessor is the xiake (sometimes known as xia 俠 or xiashi 俠士), outlaws who emerged during the wars of unification of the state of Qin. It is a sort of "knight errant" - as in the variant known as youxia 游侠, - often of humble origins, willing to break the law to bring justice to the people. During the major political upheavals, they took it upon themselves to take matters into their own hands, punishing those who transgressed popular habits and customs; their violence became socially accepted over time because it was moved by a collective ethic and turned into a symbol of virility that earned them honor and glory.
It is no coincidence that this ideal of heroism owes a lot to the political context: even after the fall of the Han Dynasty, in fact, the lack of a strong institution made the figure of the individual capable of taking the initiative and saving himself stand out. The political unrest strengthened the admiration of the hero on the part of society as a whole, because his ability to rebel was synonymous with the revolt against the oppressors. The invasions that followed the fall of the Han Dynasty helped to re-evaluate the man who, virile and fearless, was not afraid to kill to protect his own life and that of his loved ones. This admiration has often evolved into the deification of the male figure, which with his courage and mastery of martial arts often represented the only way to salvation. It is obvious that the figure of the hero always stands out in a tragic context because where there is no danger, the power of his role also fails. Often the hero is called upon to choose, and the outcome of the choice is always consistent with his ideals, which he defends and which he adheres to at the cost of his life. The sufferings that the hero must endure, in the historical as well as in the literary sense, help to isolate him but are, at the same time, the voice of the great destiny that awaits him.
The Chinese hero is therefore a very complex figure, on the one hand, torn between his own individualism and the sense of responsibility towards others, on the other often forced to make choices that go against his nature. His journey is full of sacrifices and pain but also of victories, which make him even more admirable in the eyes of those who follow him. The Chinese crowd has always been fascinated by these characters and their ability to overcome any difficulty thanks to their great strength and courage.
In conclusion, it can be said that the typical Chinese web novel protagonist is heavily based on historical figures that were greatly admired by society for their heroic deeds. These protagonists are often characterized by their excesses, violence, isolation, and rebel spirit; all qualities which have helped them become immensely popular within this genre.
What is a Western Web Novel?
Stories that are written and published on the web, often on Western websites, by Western writers. The most famous one is Royal Road, a website dedicated to - mostly, but not exclusively - Western web novels.
There are as many types of Western web novels as there are types of books: romance, fantasy, science fiction... anything you can think of. Some are more popular than others, and one, in particular, is more popular than any other.
LitRPG
If you have never heard the term 'LitRPG,' chances are you are new to web novels; in fact, many would argue that a Western'web novel' could be considered almost a synonym for LitRPG-literature in the west. The term defines a story that is set in a world governed by laws similar to the ones of a videogame - to which extent depends on the different subgenres.
Game literature? No, true fantasy.
In short, LitRPG is a subgenre of speculative fiction that combines elements of traditional fantasy storytelling with the structure and ruleset of a role-playing game. Common features include leveling up, hit points, mana points, and experience points.
When people are confused, I try to explain it in the following terms: if tomorrow the laws of physics were swapped with those of a LitRPG, you would get levels and skills in whatever professions and hobbies you cultivate the most to help you excel at it. If you are a construction worker, you might get [Lesser Stamina] to give you more energy throughout the day, and the more you level up, you might get something like [Bricks: Perfect Arrangement], which shifts the bricks - because yes, Americans, houses are made with bricks, not wood - in order to distribute the weight of the building better and ensure more strength to each wall. If you are a crafter by hobby, I'd imagine one of the first skills you would get at level 2 or 3 in your [Crafter] class would be [Nimble Hands].
So, instead of going into the details of every sub-genre of LitRPG, let's just settle on a broad statement: LitRPGs were born to provide us with the ultimate version of 'everything is possible.' They are a world where you get linear and exponential rewards for your effort, where every time you improve, you get not just a reminder in form of levels and experience, but rewards in form of skills and classes that will further enhance and complement your abilities.
The appeal of LitRPG lies, in fact, in its ability to combine the best aspects of two different worlds: the escapism and sense of adventure found in traditional fantasy stories with the strategic planning and problem-solving required by RPGs. For many readers, it scratches an itch that can’t be reached by either genre alone
The Mixed-Race Child of Chinese Web Novels
As it often happens, the origin is not clear. Russians say it’s their child, spoiled by American authors who played Dungeons and Dragons a bit too much. Japanese and Koreans have been at it for a while, as well.
Nowadays, the most popular web novels, online and on-Kindle are not just written by Americans. We have Australians, Danish, French, Canadians, South-East Asians… a vast array of countries, really.
However, while LitRPGs do indeed take a large part of their ethos from Chinese web novels, not all LitRPGs are actually web novels. Several strictly on-Kindle authors - mostly American ones - write LitRPG and their subgenres without necessarily publishing them as web novels. In exchange, more and more web novels transition to Kindle because of the large bag of money these authors uncovered on Kindle Unlimited.
Without going into detail, just keep this in mind because it has created different breeds of LitRPGs that do share the main traits among them, but that don’t necessarily have the same common ethos they share among the two subcommunities.
Is It a Western Web Novel if It’s not a LitRPG?
Yes. Most notably, Worm from Wildbow and A Practical Guide to Evil are not LitRPGs. Several others do not share the genre, and some are even loosely Xianxia novels. There’s even a ‘Romance’ category, but that’s a very complicated topic. So… let’s dive right into it.
Can Wattpad content be defined as ‘web novel’?
There is no definitive answer, as different people may have different opinions on the matter. In a way, absolutely. They are to a mostly-female audience what LitRPGs and Xianxias are to a mostly-male audience.
However, the term is rarely associated with the female counterpart. Therefore, while technically correct to call Wattpad content ‘web novel,’ it shares almost none of the characteristics of proper web novels, like the ungodly length.
My personal answer is that no, I would not call romance-tagged web serials ‘web novels.’ I’d most likely define them as Romance novels. Still, keep in mind that female-written and female-targeted web novels do exist both in China and outside of it.
And What About Light Novels?
This is a term that was coined in Japan in the 1970s and it’s used to indicate a novel that is easy to read and that doesn’t require a lot of time to be consumed.
Light novels are often shorter than ‘regular’ novels, and they often rely on illustrations to help the reader follow the story. In Japan, they are often serialized in magazines before being collected in volumes, but once they get to the West they are often published straight to volume.
Even though they can be compared to web novels, light novels are usually professionally edited and published, while web novels are more often than not written by amateurs and only occasionally edited. In addition, you would only use the term for Japanese-written novels. It’s very unlikely you’ll ever hear it of any Western production.
A Historical Precedent to Web Novels
Some have said that web novels are the 21st century equivalent of a 'Feuilleton,' literary supplements attached to French newspapers in the 1800s, which contained serialized stories, gossip, art criticism, and much more. From Dickens to Dumas, going through some of Balzac's production and Collodi's work - Pinocchio's author - serialized publishing is a practice that has been established for centuries. Even though serial publishing has several big names under the belt, it has always been considered a 'lower-quality' type of literature because of its commercial aspect. Interestingly enough, the term 'Feuilleton' initially indicated the lower part of a newspaper in France; from its very inception as an appendix of more serious news, serializing has always been shunned by more traditional, less money-driven, literary circles.
Nowadays we can see the French literary prejudice reappear in the contempt felt by some between 'literary fiction' and serialized novels.
Glorification of Masculine Traits
The great majority of web novels focus on male characters and center around masculine themes such as fighting, power, and control. This is likely due to the fact that most light novel authors are male. As a result, these stories often glorify traditionally masculine traits and present a skewed view of gender relations. In fact, these novels tend to have female characters who are graceful and beautiful but ultimately submissive, while the male protagonists are aggressive and sexually forceful.
Gender Considerations
Men are more aggressive than women and, perhaps, more likely to look up to aggressive behavior. The reason why is beyond my understanding of human psychology; it could be because there's currently a suppression of aggressive traits and men feel the need to vicariously express it in the violent behavior of books. I'll just assume, as the premise to what's following next, that men are more aggressive and do look for aggressive behavior in books more than women.
In the same way the xiake was born in a period of upheaval, web novel protagonists, especially in the West, are presented with apocalyptic scenarios where they need to discard the feminine aspects of their psyche in order to survive. When so little attention is devoted to males in modern society, it is imperative that they know how to express their thoughts and that their distress is heard. However, in a society where survival is the first and foremost coordinate, men revert to their Primal [Hunter] state. From aggressive, men become ultra-violent to ensure the survival of the Human race.
It is interesting to note that women have an equivalent to web novels in the BDSM-oriented romance, which might be described as going from caring to ultra-submissive. But this duality warrants a whole other essay.
American Perspective
Several books in the LitRPG category, especially on Kindle, have been written by Americans. Americans would most likely argue that their protagonists do not have much to do with a 'Chinese Hero.'
Now, consider that in most Chinese web novels unlawfulness is there because there are few rules - the only rule that matters is the rule of power. Either you wield power, or you will succumb to those who do. It perfectly represents Chinese society, where corruption is often rampant, and writers have to navigate the whims of the government; in fact, they don’t know how their vague laws will be applied, and they are left wondering as to what might enrage the CCP.
One could imagine that in a Chinese web novel, the protagonist's goal is to become the most powerful being in the universe, and the main conflict is against anyone who tries to stop the protagonist from achieving this goal. The Chinese perspective of an ideal web novel is a story where the protagonist's power is absolute, and the world is malleable to their will. There’s no inherent evil to fight, no bad actor that unjustly moves the world to their will. Those with power reign supreme, while the weak perish.
In contrast, America has always been a country of laws, with a stable government that has been around for centuries. During an apocalypse, however, there's the temporary annihilation of every hierarchical structure, creating a power vacuum that is very distant from the 'I'm against the government, I'm my own man.' If there's no government, we have just created the exact same circumstances as most Chinese Web Novels.
Conclusions
Web novels are a very complex genre that cannot be easily discussed without mentioning several predecessors. In this article, we mostly ignored the Russians and Korean even though they had a terrific contribution to the genre. There’s a whole thing about Sword Art Online that should be noted, and how that influenced some of the international production. The Gamer, the manwha, is yet another predecessor of the genre, something that I failed to mention yet again.
In conclusion, there is a lot to know about web novels, but if you want my advice, you might be better off going on RoyalRoad Weekly Popular and picking a few titles to read for yourself.
If you think I might have missed something or you’d like me to investigate one specific aspect, write a comment down below or shoot me an email at jacopofowl@gmail.com
See you in the next article 🎠
Thought-provoking piece! :) I enjoy both LitRPG and wuxia/xianxia, and I wanted to comment on this specifically:
"Men are more aggressive than women and, perhaps, more likely to look up to aggressive behavior. The reason why is beyond my understanding of human psychology; it could be because there's currently a suppression of aggressive traits and men feel the need to vicariously express it in the violent behavior of books."
As a male, I have an answer that at least satisfies me, and I find it helps to consider the question from the perspective of Nature. In short, Nature implemented a sex to reproduce in parallel, and a sex to reproduce serially, and the survival advantage is that the parallel sex is expendable.
In hard times, nine out of ten parallels may die, yet the remaining parallel can reproduce with ten serials, thus the reproductive rate doesn't diminish. To put it plainly, Nature designed men to do the dangerous jobs, the dirty jobs, the jobs that get people killed, to stand between Entropy and Civilization.
But, it's no good having a sex that's supposed to do those things if they're not interested, so Nature gave men both the instinct to charge into danger to protect women and children, and the desire to reproduce as much as possible. (The first instinct is Nature's balance to the second, because the first thing a man protects a woman from is himself.)
Aggression is thus a tool that Nature gave men, to enable them to face death on behalf of civilization, and like any tool, it can be misused. I think men's aggression is most constructively channeled to the edges of civilization, to open up more frontiers for the human race. (I note that while men open a frontier, it's women who consolidate it. In American history, for example, the Wild West wasn't civilized until the Eastern women came.)
In the absence of such channeling, however, games and web serials seem a better alternative than war! :)
Anyhow, Nature didn't stop with the above. If we consider the IQ distribution bell curve, we find that the average IQ of men and women is roughly the same, but male distribution is more erratic, both high and low, while women cluster around the average. That leads to the following effects:
- More male dunces exist than female
- More women are smarter than men, then men are smarter than women (to run that to the extreme, all women would be smarter than half of men, and half of men would be smarter than all women)
- More male geniuses exist than female
Coupled with male expendability, it seems evident that Nature expects the small cohort of extremely intelligent men to be the likely survivors, to be the one out of ten who live, and much of history has been written by that small cohort. (Conversely, Nature expects women to live longer than men, and so selected their IQ distribution to be more stable.)
Within that frame of reference, Eastern wuxia and xianxia focus on the lone strong man who overcomes, and the harem is a natural corollary. The Great Man gets the women, and in history, for every man who had ten wives, there were nine dead (or gelded) men. (Interestingly, Marco Polo observed in his travels that the East's population advantage over the West was due to the East's acceptance of polygamy, and the Christian West's rejection of it.)
LitRPG focuses more on the intelligence aspect of survival. RPG mechanics tend to be "crunchy", mathematically substantial, and the main characters of LitRPG tend to be competent at problem-solving, even if they're not as overpowered as Eastern heroes.
Christianity, conversely, focuses on self-sacrifice ("Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends"), and thus Christianity honors the nine out of ten men who died, the men who sacrificed themselves so that civilization might survive. I can't speak to the East, but in the West, we honor our fallen, and consider them heroes.
Anyhow, thanks for the article; that was interesting! :)