周作人(1885-1967)是中國現代文學史中的一位重要人物。他不僅是新文化陣營的重要的一份子,在中國現代文學的推展,也扮演了極為重要的角色,身兼小品文作者、學者、翻譯家等身份。但是周作人與文學革命、新文化運動的關係果真如我們一般所認知的那般密切?表面上是如此,但是若我們深入其性格、其對於文化、文學、語言等的看法,我們會發覺一般由文學史中得來的印象,雖不必然是錯誤的,至少是太過疏略,太過想當然爾。本文試圖針對周作人對於語言、文學、以及對事物的看法,並將之與「敵對」陣營學衡派的一些觀念做比較,試圖重新再思索周作人與文學革命以及五四文學之關係,提出另一視角的觀點,希冀能對周作人有不同的文學史解釋。
Zhou Zuoren (1885-1967) is an important figure in the history of modern Chinese literature. Not only is he a proponent in the advocation of a new literature movement, but also a prolific familiar essay writer, translator, and a scholar. However, is Zhou's relation to new literary movement as close as we understand it? On one level, he is. Nevertheless, if we look closely into his character, his thought development, his ideas and expressions on language, literature, and culture, we will see how many literary history books have misleadingly missed the complexity and subtlety of Zhou's thought. This paper will try to look into Zhou's opinions of language, literature closely to see what they are and how they are related to New Youth and Critical Review components, with a view to provide a different perspective on Zhou Zuoren and to re-evaluate his standing in literary history.