小品文的盛行是晚明文壇變革的標志之一，晚明小品與江、浙爲代表的江南文化有著密不可分的內在聯繫。顯現出市民性、世俗性、享樂性、消閑性、地域性等特色的晚明小品文，正是與江南地區社會富裕化、時尚奢糜化、士人去道德化的環境氛圍交互作用下的産物。晚明小品雖然和六朝、晚唐小品有著題材、風格上的淵源關係，但由于晚明小品作家在突破傳統的仕隱情結、重視物質享受等方面與前人的不同之處，而使這一時期的江南小品文展示出獨特的品性。
The prevalence of essay is one of the signs of the reform happened in the literary circles of the late Ming Dynasty, and there is an internal relationship between such a style of writing and the regional culture in the South of Yangtze River of which Jiangsu and Zhejiang are representative .The essay of the late Ming is municipalityoriented, and focuses on worldly life, leisure, localness and pleasance. We believe that all these characteristics had been deeply affected by the easy circumstances of the South of Yangtze River, the fashion of luxury style of living and the scholars’ treasonable attitude toward traditional moral standard.The style and theme in the essay of the late Ming rises partly from the one of SouthNorth Dynasty and the late Tang, however the latter are inclined to show recluse complex and enjoy cakes and ale, while the former breaks through the confine and moulds the fingerprint of itself.