三○年代初期，台灣的文學關懷逐漸從「新舊文學」轉移到「鄉土文學」，然而此時關於「鄉土」的想像資源，在很大的程度上乃擷取於「民間」，因此伴隨鄉土文學在三○年代初期的崛起，民間文學研究也同步地受到相當的重視。本文以三○年代的民間文學動向為考察對象，並在爬梳相關論述後指出，在望向民間文學的視線當中，有些是從啟蒙的角度而將之作為必須加以改造的對象，有些則視之為純真至寶而大加讚美。但無論如何，當知識份子將眼光望向「民間」時，映照在他們眼中的是一種集團化了的人民圖像，在這當中，人民被視為一個統一的整體，且被想像成一個本身便擁有特殊內涵的文化實體。於是，透過對於「民間」的關注，知識份子們獲得了討論並想像「台灣人或台灣文化究竟是什麼」的絕佳材料。

The focus of Taiwanese literature debates had been gradually shifting from ”New and Old Literature” to Hsiang-tu Literature since the beginning of 1930s. The concept of Hsiang-tu literature gained its literary resource mostly from ”the common people”. Accordingly as the concept of Hsiang-tu literature arose, the folk-literature was widely caught attention as well. This article tries to trace the folk-literature movement in the 1930s: by examining literati's discourses, it points out that there were different ways to look at the folk-literature. Some believed that folk-literature reflected the shortcomings of national Taiwanese characters while others saw it as a national treasure which needed to be preserved. But in both cases, Taiwanese people were considered a whole, with their own unified cultural identity. By going among people, Taiwanese elites obtained the best material to discuss and construct what Taiwanese people and culture ”really are”.