Abstract:

Online novel has been an emerging literary form with strong momentum. However，the legitimacy of online novels
remains a suspending problem till today. This may be caused by its“commitment”to the virtual Internet，but it is an undisputable
fact that it failed to receive full recognition by the mainstream literature. To give online novels an appropriate position，we must
probe into the origin and the development of novels. Online novels made it possible for the appeal of the common people
presented by way of the Internet platform；it also set up a new paradigm for novel writing on the Internet space which is
characteristic of carnivalization，interactivity，and extensiveness. Although online novels have been on a very fast rise，they
still lack exquisiteness in language，depth in thought，and broadness in horizon. Those shortcomings make the development of
online novels difficult. Therefore，online novels must return to the origin and make a successful breakthrough，so that they can
develop significantly.

Key words: novel origin, online novel, literary form, traditional novel, nature of novel