中國傳統法律精神向來追求的是穩定和秩序，以無訟為其價值取向，不論從中國歷史出發還是從代法學的觀點來看，都有益於文明進展。從先秦諸子開始提出的自然和諧觀，到了晚清明顯產生矛盾的對立與變化，民間正義的維繫力量，從清官為主的中心地帶逐漸旁落，再顛覆、瓦解，傳統法律的精神受到極大的挑戰，表現在小說中尤其明顯，《活地獄》以扭曲的獄訟體制和殘酷的懲戒書寫，構築出一幅人間煉獄圖。作者的寫作策略固然不無標新立異的企圖，但終極關懷仍然落在對於傳統司法的批評。假如不純然以酷刑大觀來看待這部書，表象背後透露著權力的機制與痛苦的身體與權力的對抗拉鋸後，整個時代正義觀已然失落，只好以擬像作為書寫策略來流通販售。中國通俗文學每每竭力「模擬」歷史敘事，敘事細節的豐富性可能較諸正史檔案更加鮮活，文學的「真實」與歷史的「真實」不盡然相同，本文認為從看似極度虛構誇張的文學作品，仍然提供了一份晚清獄訟生活的想像。

Chinese traditional juridical essentially aims at stability and order. The value orientation of non-litigation benefits the civilization development from perspective either of Chinese historical or of modern law science. The view of natural harmonious form pre-Qin scholars developed contradictory opposition in late Qing period. The sustainable strength of civilian justice declined gradually from centrical Qing bureaucracy, then overturned and collapsed. Traditional spirit of law faced tremendous challenge, which presented itself eminently in novels. "The Hell" constructed a scene of terrestrial purgatory with distorted lawsuit system and brutal chastening penmanship. Although the author intended to takes the less usual side, his ultimate concern remains to criticize the traditional judicature. If we read this novel not only as an excruciation encyclopedia, we can perceive it implied that holistic social justice was lost after the counterwork between tortured bodies and power mechanism, so literators are compelled to fictionalize to sell their books. Chinese light literature used to imitate historical narration, and the richness and vividness is usually more than the official history. The "veridicality" of literature is not exactly same as the "veridicality" of history; however, this essay assumes the seeming exaggerative literatures still provide readers the imagination for the lawsuit life in late Qing period.