中國近現代文學與文化的研究，對王蘊章 (1884-1942) 其人其事一向並未特別留意，事實上王氏是早期商務印書館旗下重要人才，自清末至民初的十數年間，連續為該館主編《小說月報》與《婦女雜誌》兩份刊物。這兩份雜誌有許多重疊之處，例如，都由王蘊章擔任創刊主編，發行時間長，發行量廣，影響力大，因此具有相當代表性。而且兩份雜誌都在五四以後進行重大變革，王蘊章謝幕退場，改由新文學陣營人士主導。此一過程向來被詮釋為新舊文化勢力的交鋒，而由新派大獲全勝，代表舊勢力的王蘊章的貢獻也因此被一筆抹煞。最近，學界終於零星出現一些主張重視前期《小說月報》的聲音，乃至強調王蘊章的進步性。不過，本文的重點倒不在為王蘊章翻案，而是在基本上承認他在新舊過渡時期，代表逐漸式微的舊派文人的框架下，重新理解王蘊章在其雜誌編輯事業中，如何進行他所宣告之「綴述舊聞，灌輸新理，增進常識」的工作。商務印書館具有營利與啟蒙的雙重任務，而《小說月報》（以及《婦女雜誌》）在王蘊章的規劃下，不論其欄目設計、內容選擇，乃至版式編排，都展現編者以雜誌為百科式通俗教育的企圖。王蘊章所編的雜誌一方面呈現「現代的知識與資訊的消費化」與傳統的「道德與教化的娛樂化」兩種特質交錯的畫面，另一方面，則透露了編者個人懷舊品味的、以微物為中心的「微觀式世界文本化」的傾向。

Studies of modern Chinese literature have not paid enough attention to Wang Yunzhang (1884-1942), an important writer and editor in the first twenty years of the twentieth century. As an active figure in the literary field, Wang was recruited by the Commercial Press and served as the founding editor for two of the press’ major magazines, Xiaoshuo yuebao (Short Story Magazine) and Funu zazhi (The Ladies’ Journal). The two magazines not only had the same founding editor, but also went through almost identical transformations in the aftermath of the May Fourth Movement when Wang, who stood for the “Old School,” gave way to new editors from the “New School.” In the construction of the history of modern Chinese literature, this process of reformation has been defined as a cultural battle between the Old and the New schools. As a result of this interpretation, the contribution to modern literature made by Wang Yunzhang, who lost this supposed war, is inadequately credited. Recently, some scholars have begun to reevaluate the accomplishments of Xiaoshuo yuebao before the reformation, and further to acknowledge Wang Yunzhang’s literary vision. In this paper, however, I do not intend to reassess Wang’s career. Rather, I attempt to understand precisely how Wang, as a traditional scholar and writer who was experiencing the decline of old and familiar cultural conventions, pursued the goals of “collecting and compiling old information, imbuing people with modern knowledge, and promoting common sense”—the goals he announced as editor in the first issue of the magazine. As the Commercial Press took profit and enlightenment as its goals, Wang Yunzhang also tried to design his magazine to be a vehicle for popular education in the form of a periodic encyclopedia. This was done by the design of columns, the selection of works, and the format and layout of the magazine. In short, Xiaoshuo yuebao marks the convergence of modern consumption of knowledge and traditional education through entertainment. It also reveals Wang’s cultural taste, which was not only nostalgic but centered on the “small things” of the elite literati culture.