From Intervention To Solicitude--the Evolution Of The Political Efficacy Of Late Qing Fiction

This Thesis takes the Guangxu Thirty-one as a turning point, the fiction published in a large numbe of the Newspapers and Periodicals over the last decade of the Qing Dynasty as the research object, and the evolution of the Political Efficacy of the fiction as the clues,to discuss the changes and the features of the fiction, which were happened after the "Fiction Revolution" which was advocated by Liang Qichao ,and explore the reasons to that. On this basis, the paper is mainly divided into five chapters:Chapter I: "Introduction". Introducing the original of the problems of the Chinese modern Fiction and reviewing the history of its academic research, reviewing existing research results, puting forward a new perspective. In addition to that ,the dissertation explans the related concepts, historical data, the research methodology and the writing ideas, etc. Finally, this chapter explores the conception of the Fiction's Political Efficacy before the "Fiction Revolution" ,which exsits in the Chinese Classical Fction and the Missionary Fiction.Chapter II: "Found the Fiction", the Fiction' Function was given. Qualitative change in the Modern Fiction was caused by "Fiction Revolution". In this process, Liang Qichao played a very important role. Liang Qichao, not only one of the most influential intellectuals of ideology in Late-Qing Dynasty, but also the most importment man who played a decisive role in the development of the Chinese Fiction. Although the changes in the Late-Qing Dynasty Fiction was caused by various factors, but Liang Qichao's contribution as a pioneer is an indisputable factor. This chapter makes a thorough inspection on the concept of the formation of Modern Fiction, Liang Qichao's understand of the Literary Function, Liang Qichao's New Fiction Theory, and qualitative change in Late-Qing Fiction.Chapter III, Fiction Prosperity.This chapter focus on analyzing the "New Fiction Theory" both at the Theoretical Circle and the Literary World. the "Fiction Revolution", the Fiction's Political Efficacy has been expanded to a maximum extent, both the Theoretical Circles and the Literary World all responded to it. The formation of this situation, on one hand from the changing concept of the literature, On the other hand, it wsa relied on the full co-operation of the newspapers, periodicals and the bookstores. Without any of the factors, it was very difficult for the Late-Qing Dynasty Fiction to obtain such a prosperity in such a short time. With the rise of Late-Qing Fiction, the Late-Qing Dynasty Fiction's classification were becoming increasingly prosperous, which in turn promoted promote the writing of various categories of fiction, and promoted the development of Late-Qing Fiction.Chapter IV, The Entertainment overwhelming the Enlightenment. Since Guangxu Thirty-one the Late-Qing Dynasty Fiction pattern had began to change. The new fiction on the literary world had been drifting further and further away from the theory advocated by the "Fiction Revolution". The Political Fiction had began to ebb, the entertainment overwhelming the enlightenment, the fiction sought its new balance between the entertainment and the enlightenment. This pattern of the fiction were caused by the defects of the Political Fiction, the self-improvement of the Modern Fiction and the fiction itself as a cultural characteristics of consumer goods.Chapter V, From the Intervention to the Solicitude. Guangxu Thirty-one ,the Late-Qing Dynasty Fiction has taken on a new pattern, the Entertainment overwhelming the Enlightenment, but useing the fiction as a instrument for political efficacy had not disappeared, the function was given to the fiction has never been forgoteen. Eventually it formed a coexistent situation of the noble one and the entertainment one. The concept of using the fiction as a instrument for political ideas' propagate has been changed. Fiction, from the instrument of directly involvement, has been developing to a potential solicitude. The modern sense of realism of the fiction has began.The Conclusion Section evaluates the basic situation of the Late-Qing Fiction in the final decade. During this time, the development of the fiction is a complex and changeable process, the enlightenment and the entertainment wrestling with each other. But its development wasn't without a major clue, nor was the fiction without its own specific objectives and trends. From the Intervention to the Solicitude, although everything is still in searching, the realism characteristics of the Late-Qing Fiction become apparent gradually.