Abstract: Han Zhi, which describes novelists according to "how academic their works are and on which are their works based", views novels from the academic, rather than the literary or stylistic, perspective. Comparatively speaking, popular novels, which depend on storytelling skills and strive to be aesthetic and amusing, are considered as with more stylistic characteristics. In fact, there is no absolute split but many similarities between academic and stylistic novels. The study of Chinese traditional novels, which has been made complicated by the collision and overlap between the two research perspectives, should be carried out with respect for history and efforts to reveal how novels were actually understood by ancients. 

Key words: novels, Academic, Stylistic, Perspectives