Title

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

Author

Liu Cheng-chung

Genre

Article  

Pages

447~482

Download

PDF

Language

Chinese

Key words

prose institution, genre transformation, paradigm shift, late-Ming xiaopinwen

Abstract

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 xiaopinwen literary perspective with a modern literary concept. Next, it explores how and zawen (雜文, miscellaneous writings) constructed their identities and defined each Finally, it reviews the other within specific historical contexts, thereby sharpening genre consciousness. xiaopinwen anthologies circulated at the time, exploring how publishing practices shaped general readers’ understanding of genre.