本篇論文旨在陳述葉慶炳先生在古典小說研究上的成就，根據葉先生的研究成果，分為小說之「史」、小說之「藝」和小說之「趣」三大面向來展現。小說之「史」的部份，主要說明葉先生的研究所涉及的中國古典小說發展歷史、具體的小說背景資料、小說作為史料等範疇，從中探究出葉先生在考辨事實、歷史定位、史識展現方面的學力和見識，並申述因此所解決的重要學術問題，以及開展出對後輩學者具有啟示意義的研究空間。小說之「藝」的部份，則將葉先生非常重視的小說藝術形式表現的研究，作一統整，儘量保留葉先生所使用的詞語，分為寫作技巧和文體特色兩部份來呈現，寫作技巧包括了整體佈局、細部結構、人物刻劃等，葉先生以敏銳的觀察和細膩的分析，將文本的敘述特質展露無遺，依循著新批評的方式，突顯小說的藝術經營特色，在小說文體方面亦復如此，不但對於每一時期的小說文體特色有明晰的闡釋，同時從敘述效果賦予公允的評價。葉先生在小說之「藝」領域的研究，不但強調小說文本的藝術性，同時在未憑依小說敘事理論的情況下，依然洞見了小說的形式表現特質。在葉先生的研究中，實亦涉及了小說之「史」和小說之「藝」交融的面向，即葉先生在研究中巧妙地將兩者結合運用，開闢出研究的新視界。除了嚴謹的學術撰作外，葉先生復撰寫既具學術性又饒富趣味的著作，將古典小說推廣至學院之外；而他在學術文章中，時常流露出的人性關懷語調，則傳達出葉先生在研究之中，所寄寓的深刻旨趣。這兩個特殊層面的觀照，十分動人，本篇以小說之「趣」名之，藉以突顯葉先生在古典小說研究上的特出之處。

This paper will discuss Professor Ye Qingbing’s contributions to the research of classical fiction. Discussion will proceed on three fronts. In terms of history, we will look at aspects in which Professor Ye was interested, namely the history of the development of classical fiction, background material for individual works, and the use of fiction in historical research. In doing so, we will see the scholarship that Professor Ye put into his work, some of the important scholarly issues that he resolved, and the new areas of research that he opened up for a new generation of scholars. In terms of “art”, we point to the importance Professor Ye attached to the artistic expression involved with classical fiction. In providing an overview of his work in this area, we will try to preserve some of Professor Ye’s distinct terminology while focusing on two areas, writing technique and genre characteristics. Professor Ye’s sharp insight and discerning analysis allowed the narrative of the text to be exposed in all its complexities, while his use of the New Criticism brought out the artistic strategies used in creating the text. When dealing with genres of fiction, Professor Ye gave a fair and accurate evaluation of different genres as he traced their development through the ages. His research on the art of fiction not only emphasized the artistic nature of the text, but also, without employing any narrative theory, captured formal aspects of narrative. He was also able to bring history and art of fiction together in his research in ways that opened up new areas of research. In addition to his rigorous scholarly works, Professor Ye also wrote a number of works that, while still being scholastic, also had a wide-ranging appeal in order to bring classical fiction to a wider reading public. Even in his scholarly works, Professor Ye’s humanistic concerns often shined through in his only delightful style.