戊戌维新叙述的建立:《戊戌政变记》的成书、传播与接受

The Construction of the Narrative of the Reform Movement:The Historical Context,Social Criticism,and Reader's Acceptance of An Account of the Coup of 1898

与政治斗争的胜利者通常掌握著史话语权不同的是,戊戌维新的历史叙述主要由以梁启超为代表的变法失败者一方建立。政变发生以后,新政事业迅速凋零,面对英国、日本方面对维新运动败于过激的批评,以及出于争取海外华侨支持的政治需要,流亡中的梁启超以“局内人”身份,借助《戊戌政变记》的论述和报刊舆论的力量,对变法做了最初的总结,建构起维新视角下的戊戌叙事体系,虽非信史,却成为后世史学论述的蓝本。通过报刊、档案、日记、年谱、回忆录等材料,返回历史现场,考索《戊戌政变记》的编写背景、成书经过、社会传播与阅读接受,进而探讨以梁启超为代表的维新派在流亡期间的政治立场、思想脉络与现实诉求,从中梳理戊戌维新历史叙述的建构历程,可展现戊戌神话背后的时代细节与文化图景。

Unlike most other historical events recorded by the victorious,the narrative relating to the Reform Movement of 1898 was largely established by the unsuccessful reformers.Liang Qichao played the most prominent part in this process.After the coup in the fall of 1898,the various reformist endeavors failed rapidly.Faced with criticism from British and Japanese that the Reform Movement had failed for being too radical,as well as the political need to gain support of overseas Chinese,Liang Qichao gave the first summary of the political movement as an“insider.”Thanks to the wide diffusion of Liang's An Account of the Coup of 1898,which was made possible by the fast emerging printing press,the Reform Party's narrative became the foundation of the historiography of later generations.Returning to the scene of history through materials such as newspapers,archives,diaries,chronicles,memoirs,etc.,as well as an in-depth analysis of the historical context,writing process,social criticism and reader's acceptance of this major work,we can examine the genesis and evolution of the book's multiple editions,the construction process of the reformersnarrative,the various social and cultural circumstances,explore the political stance,ideological context and realistic demands of the reformists represented by Liang,so as to sort out the construction of the historical narrative of the reformation,and then reveal the various social and cultural factors which gave birth to the myth of the Reform Movement of 1898.