中國小說史에 관한 몇 가지 斷想

Some Remarks on the History of Chinese Fiction

From the critical standpoint on the existing tendency that consider the meaning of the the term ‘vernacular’ as equal to the term ‘oral language’, I in this article argue that it is necessary to study the history of chinese vernacular fiction in the context of inner and outer change of literature. Because if not in this context, we can‘t perceive that vernacular fiction, regardless of its origin, had come to face totally new condition with regard to its consumer and its producer as soon as it was written. So, if considering the appearance of its readers and writers, historical development pattern similar to that of chinese poetry and assimilation of genre and style, we should discuss the vernacular fiction as a serious literary genre newly having come to being in the circumstances of the written language. Vernacular-vernacular fiction should be estimated its meaning in relation to the general change and tendency of history coming into view through the transitions of dynasties after Song宋(especially during Ming明 and Qing淸). In those times, according to the increase of cultural demand result from the development of cities and commercial influence, and according to the internal stratification of the intellectuals intending to be members of bureaucrat through state examination(keju科擧), the midddle class, they were characterized by the critical and popular quality, became the main consumer and producer of vernacular fiction. Only in this context we can explain the double faces of the vernacular fiction, which characterized by the popularity remarkable in the example of production of many epigones and by the sincerity through which we draw out the significance of the real world from the fictionized world. The proper understanding of the ruling activity of modern literary intellectuals after the 5ㆍ4 period can be expected only on this way of approaching.