梁啟超發表了〈譯印政治小說序〉（1898）、〈論小說與群治之關係〉（1902）等文章後，中國小說進入一個新的階段，以小說來輔助政治改革，試圖將中國推進現代國家之林。梁大力推動小說改革，批判傳統小說，提出不同的小說理念（「新小說」）。然而，晚清論者雖借「異邦的新聲」，提出與傳統相異的言說，但仍承繼不少傳統小說的思維、形式及表達方式，若以「現代小說」（modern fiction）的角度來考察，很難稱得上是中國小說的「現代化」。中國小說真正邁入「現代」，恐怕還得等到魯迅等人的進一步思索、引進不同於晚清小說的言說及實踐，方才接近所謂現代小說的樣貌。本文試圖重新省視魯迅在清末民初對於小說之言說及創作表現，分析魯迅對於「小說」的看法、其相關的原因、脈絡，考察中國「現代小說」的「形成」、其與「新小說」的異同，以及其在中國小說史上的意涵。

Ever since Liang Qichao launched several seminal articles at the turn of twentieth-century, advocating the use of fiction to further the cause of national survival, Chinese fiction had stepped into another stage of development. This “New Fiction” was meant to be distinct from traditional fiction, which late Qing intellectuals saw as detrimental to the nation. However, can this “New Fiction” be treated as “modern fiction” as some scholars claim? This article takes a different position, seeing late Qing fiction as transitional, bringing in political ideas and issues unseen in traditional fiction, but in some other aspects remaining the same. It was not until Lu Xun and his generation that the so-called “modernization of Chinese fiction” took place. This article will look into Lu Xun’s discourse on fiction in ate Qing period and his later creative fiction, to analyze his concept of fiction, and his contribution to the formation of modern Chinese fiction.