论近代小说的历史使命

On the Historical Mission of Modern Fiction

作为小说发展史上的一个阶段,近代小说在短短72年里,完成了从古代小说到现代小说的过渡转换。本文从辨析"近代小说"概念入手,进而逐一考察组成小说发展体系的创作、传播、理论、读者与官方文化政策等要素在该时段的具体变化。原有的小说体系自明末以降已维持了约四百年,列强入侵、社会震荡、观念剧变与新技术手段的引入等打破了它的平衡,同时也使组成体系的各要素分别经历适应时代发展的变革,最后形成小说体系的新平衡。在小说体系重建的过程中,创作呈现出与政治联系密切、作品众多且平庸之作迭出等现象,大量平庸作品组成的整体结构,使近代小说以渐进的方式完成了过渡这一历史使命。

Modern fiction is one stage of the fictional development history of China. In a short term of 72 years,fiction achieved its transition from ancient to modern shape. This article sets out from the analysis of ＂modern fiction ＂,examines into the changes of the factors as writing,spreading,theory,reader and cultural policy that make up the fictional developing system. The original system had been maintained about 400 years ever since the end of the Ming Dynasty; its balance had been broken by foreign invasion, social vibration, ideological transformation and the introduction of new technology. Meanwhile,each system factor underwent a rebalancing progress and adapted itself to the time. During the progress the production was in huge amount,though most of the work was mediocre and politically oriented. With such a structure,modern fiction gradually went through its historical mission.