Theme: It is a history of existence, a history of resisting the dark and chaotic mainstream society, and describes with legendary strokes the constant struggle, success and failure of a group of people on the edge of society at that time for dignified survival. It praises the rebels who dare to resist evil bureaucrats, safeguard their own interests, and do not bow to the powerful, and pointedly points out the social contradiction of "officials forcing the people to rebel".

The Water Margin is one of China's four classical novels. It is a chapter-by-chapter novel with the Sung River Uprising as the main story background at the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, and it belongs to a heroic legend in genre. The author or editor is generally regarded as Shi Naian, and most of the existing periodicals have one or two people, Shi Naian and Luo Guanzhong.

The book describes the great story of Liangshan hero's resistance to oppression, the growth of Liangshan in Shui Bo and his surrender to the imperial court, as well as the repression of political forces such as Fox, Wang Qing and Fang La who opposed the Song government the day after tomorrow, which finally led to tragic failure. It artistically reflects the whole process of the Sung River Uprising from its occurrence, development to failure in China history, profoundly reveals the social roots of the uprising, enthusiastically praises the uprising heroes' resistance struggle and social ideals, and specifically reveals the internal historical reasons for the failure of the uprising.

The Water Margin is one of the earliest Zhang Hui vernacular novels in China history.

After the publication of Water Margin, it had a great impact on the society and became a model of China's novel creation in later generations. During the Ming and Qing Dynasties, several versions of the sequel to Water Margin appeared, and many other novels and dramas were adapted from the stories in Water Margin. For example, Jin Ping Mei, a love novel of Ming Dynasty, developed from the plot of Song Wu killing his wife in Water Margin.

In addition, Water Margin has been translated into many languages and spread in many places abroad, such as/kloc-Japan and Korea in the 8th century. The Story of Hong Jitong, one of the earliest novels in North Korea, and the novel See Eight Dogs by General Manager Nan, written by Japanese Quting Maqin, were both influenced by Water Margin. /kloc-in the 0/9th century, The Water Margin spread to Europe and America, with three versions in Germany, France and Britain.

The reason why Water Margin has become an influential work in the history of China literature lies not only in its rich ideological content, but also in its artistic maturity. The Water Margin inherits and develops the excellent traditions of realism and romanticism, and integrates them.

The artistic achievement of Water Margin is most prominently reflected in the creation of heroes. The great historical theme of the book is mainly manifested in the praise of the uprising heroes and the description of their struggle. Therefore, the success of heroic image-building is an important factor for the works to have brilliant artistic life. In Water Margin, there are at least twenty typical images with distinct personalities, which are lifelike and lifelike.

References:

Water Margin-Baidu Encyclopedia