《小說林》「叢錄」欄描述異國形象時,多使用「紀實」的筆法「記異」,然而此筆法卻隱含譯者對於「世界列強」和「原始民族」的「文野」之看法。八國聯軍之後,晚清所關注的世界列強雖然發明了各式文明器物與制度,但在戰爭中仍不免造成眾多死傷,因此譯者一面讚揚列強之文明,卻也略過了戰爭造成死傷的問題。而譯者雖未評論原始民族的風俗迷信,但從中仍可見晚清中國對於異國的關注,多少反映了自身對於特定議題(如女權、革命等)的關注。此外,譯者描述原始民族的食衣住行時,多維持其一貫的客觀筆法,亦符合「叢錄」本身的「記異」性質。故探討《小說林》「叢錄」中的異國形象,有助於理解晚清小說之外的文本,不只將異國作為值得學習的他者,同時透過國外新聞媒體而產生基於事實的理解,譯者在接受異國資訊的同時,也以此反照中國自身之「文野」。由於不同體裁而形成不同的分工方式,「叢錄」欄正填補了「小說」想像之外的現實。
In "Xiao Shuo Lin", "tsong-lu" mostly described the exotic images in using "documentary" strokes to "record new things", but in this technique of writing, translators had implied the critic about "world powers" and "the uncivilized" between them. After the Eight-Nation Alliance, world powers are concerned by the late Qing Dynasty. Although the invention of all kinds of artifacts and institutional, it still can not stop many casualties in the war. On the one hand, the translators praised the civilized powers. On the other hand, they ignored the casualties caused by the war. In addition, the translators of "tsong-lu" did not completely accept for the revolutions, so it reflects the different attitude to revolutions in "Xiao Shuo Lin". Although uncivilized people have some superstitions, there also exist women's rights that different from European and American feminist, although translators did not comment on this phenomenon of civilized or not. The concerns about foreign countries in the late Qing of China was still visible, and some particular issues that translators concerned (such as feminism, revolution, etc.) .In addition, there is no negative evaluation for primitive peoples about their lifestyles, and translators maintain its consistent objective strokes. It is also in line with the style of "tsong-lu" itself. Therefore, to study "tsong-lu" in "Xiao Shuo Lin", is helpful to understand the exotic images that except in fictions in the late Qing. We do not just see the exotic as "others" to imitate, but based on the fact that generated by foreign news, and translators also accepted foreign information from these news to judge if China is civilized or uncivilized. Due to the formation of different genres, "tsong-lu" played a role that differs from imagination of fiction, and it is "real".