晚清時期盡管經歷了"小說界革命",但小說的地位并未得到充分承認。事實上,近代中國小說的興起不僅與"小說界革命"的倡導有關,而且同特定歷史階段社會政治、文化、教育、傳播等領域所發生的種種變革密切相聯。這具體表現在:民國建立后,政體變化帶來相對寬松的社會環境,文化意識形態趨于包容,加之商業資本的推動,促使"小說界革命"的后續社會效應得到顯現,小說禁忌的"閘門"終被開啟。其后小說文運漸興,很大程度上取決于社會對"小說"的總體看法,這又與知識的社會建構密切相關。以更為開闊的視野探討近代小說之興起,有助于重新認識民國初年在中國文學現代轉型過程中的位置和作用。

Although the late Qing underwent a "revolution in fiction," the position of the novel was never fully recognized.In fact,the rise of the modern Chinese novel was not only promoted by the "revolution in fiction";it was also connected with all kinds of changes in the fields of society,politics,culture,education,and communications over a specific historical period.This can be seen specifically in the following:With the establishment of the Republic of China,changes in the political system provided a more relaxed environment;cultural consciousness tended to be more inclusive;and commercial capital was making progress.All this allowed for the subsequent effects on society of the "revolution in fiction" to become manifest and for taboo areas to be broached.The subsequent popularity of the novel as a literary movement was largely due to the public’ s overall view of the novel,which was related to the social construction of knowledge.Exploration of the popularity of the early modern novel from a wider perspective will help us rethink the position and role of the early Republic in the modern turn of Chinese literature.