小品文是民國的產物──體制、文類與範式

Xiaopinwen as a Product of the Republican Era: Institutions, Genres, and Paradigms

本文將小品文視為民國以來的文化產物，藉此探索現代散文美學的建構歷程。中國原有豐厚的文章傳統，在一種兼涉政治、社會、教育的穩定「體制」（institution）之下，建構各種文類（genre），形成各種範式（paradigm）。但在劇變的民國初年，既有的文章體式經歷了破裂與重組，以語體文寫成的小品文隨之誕生。本文將回到五四時期，探討國語運動、語文教育與小品文的關聯性，尤其關注由日本引進的文學資源。其次，將檢視周作人（1885-1967）如何操做白話散文與晚明小品的聯結，展現以近代文學觀取代國語文學觀的意圖。接著，探討小品文與雜文如何在特定時代處境中建構自我並定義對方，使文類意識趨於尖銳。最後，檢視當時流通的小品文選集，探索出版實踐如何形塑一般讀者對於小品文的認知。

This article views xiaopinwen (小品文, the short essay) as a cultural product of the Republican era, thereby exploring the construction process of modern prose aesthetics. China has a rich tradition of prose writing; under a stable“institution”that intertwined politics, society, and education, various genres were constructed, forming diverse paradigms. However, during the tumultuous early years of the Republican period, established forms of writing underwent a process of rupture and reorganization, giving rise to xiaopinwen written in the vernacular. This paper first revisits the May Fourth period to explore the connections among the National Language Movement, language education, and xiaopinwen, with a particular focus on literary resources introduced from Japan. Secondly, it examines how Zhou Zuoren周作人(1885–1967) constructed the connection between vernacular prose and late- Ming xiaopinwen, demonstrating his intention to replace the National Language literary perspective with a modern literary concept. Next, it explores how xiaopinwen and zawen (雜文, miscellaneous writings) constructed their identities and defined each other within specific historical contexts, thereby sharpening genre consciousness. Finally, it reviews the xiaopinwen anthologies circulated at the time, exploring how publishing practices shaped general readers’understanding of genre.