General Yueh Fei: A novel and accompanying exegesis

The project comprises a novel with the working title, General Yueh Fei, and an accompanying exegesis. The novel is a work of the historical fused with elements of fantasy, exploring the life and times of China's national hero, and the project comes to focus on Yueh Fei's sense of patriotism and his battles against the invading barbarians. Narrated by the ghost of the protagonist, the novel also examines the emotional conflict within Yueh Fei himself and between him and two other main characters within the Imperial Court. Central to the conflict is the effect on the protagonist of the fall of the capital city, Kaifeng, that split China into Northern and Southern Sung following a humiliating peace treaty with the barbarians. The novel is written in the first person narrative mode and describes these fictionalized historical events and the surrounding circumstances that culminated in the arrest and murder of General Yueh Fei and his son, Yueh Yun. The exegesis is an informed reflection on the novel, calling on critical and theoretical thinking relevant to the writing in English of a Chinese based historical romance novel as well as cognate works in fiction and film. It gives an account of what inspired the work and the sources drawn on in creating it, positioning the work generically and exploring its theoretical basis and affiliations including the related issue of the Orientalism/authenticity nexus in the historical romance novel.