Abstract: Addressing the core question of “value's source,” 19th-century Western European economics offered the Labor Theory of Value (supply-side) and the Utility Theory of Value (demand-side). In tandem, Western European literature responded, driving the aesthetic evolution. In the labor theory phase, realistic industrial novels critiqued human rights abuses, wealth disparities, and labor-capital conflicts on the surface, while targeting inefficiencies in production relations at a deeper level. In the utility theory phase, aestheticism challenged utilitarian and pragmatic social mindsets, addressing moderation and insufficient demand. New consumers faced declining desire amid material abundance, which reflected the phenomenon of overproduction. Western literature's aesthetic shift from supply to demand mirrored broader social value changes.

Key words: 19th-century Western European literature, economics, value, utility

摘要： 面对“价值来源”这一核心问题,19世纪西欧经济学先后给出劳动价值论与效用价值论的答案,分别对应供给侧与需求侧视角。与经济学同频,西欧文学亦对此作出回应,成为文学审美演变的动因之一。在劳动价值论阶段,生产关系重塑社会关系,以工业小说为代表的现实主义批判的表层对象是低人权、贫富差距和劳资矛盾等现象,深层对象是生产关系对生产效率的透支;在效用价值论阶段,消费关系定义社会关系,唯美主义批判的表层对象是功利主义、实用至上的社会心理,深层对象是适度、节制和需求不足。新型消费者在物质充盈中体验欲望递减,隐喻了生产过剩现象。西欧文学的审美转向反映了从供给侧到需求侧的社会价值观念变迁。

关键词: 19世纪西欧文学, 经济学, 价值, 效用