Abstract: Both the “novels of erudition” in China's mid-Qing and the encyclopedic novels in the Western literature contain a large body of professional knowledge and exhibit a nation's culture at large.However,the two genres are quite different in terms of their historical origins,contents of knowledge,and trajectory of development.This paper attempts to make a systematic comparative study of the two similar genres in terms of these three aspects.Its approach is parallel research,which includes the perspective of genre studies and the comparison of their similarities and differences.The purpose is to gain a better command of their historical evolution,thematic concerns and artistic features;meanwhile,it could provide valuable references and exemplifications for comparative literature and genre studies.Through this research,the paper concludes that both genres are subversive to the modern aesthetic autonomy,and although they have their inherent limitations and uncertainties,the zeitgeist they represent,their narrative ideas and aesthetic consciousness,have been in continuous development in variant forms.They can serve as effective perspectives in examining the boundaries of literary genres and exploring their cultural implications.

Key words: novel of erudition, encyclopedic novel, Lu Xun, Edward Mendelson, genre studies

摘要： 中国清代中叶的“才学小说”与西方的“百科全书式小说”都具有专业知识含量庞大、体现民族整体文化的特点,但两者在历史成因、知识内容、发展轨迹等三方面又存在明显差异。本文尝试以这三个方面为切入点,通过平行研究的方式(包括文类学的视角和异同比较的方法),对这两种颇为相似的文类进行系统的对照分析,旨在更好地理解和把握它们各自的历史嬗变、主旨思想和艺术特色,同时为比较文学研究和文类研究提供有益的参考和示例。通过研究,本文认为这两种文类都是对现代审美自主性的颠覆,虽然它们具有内在的局限性和不确定性,但其代表的时代精神、叙事理念和审美意识,却以各种形式在文学创作中不断地延续和发展,可以成为我们审视文类疆界、发掘文化内涵的有效视角。

关键词: 才学小说, 百科全书式小说, 鲁迅, 爱德华·门德尔松, 文类研究