中国漫长的帝制时代造就了一个特殊的社会阶层——“绅士”。集政治精英与知识精英于一身的绅士对传统社会的方方面面都产生了重要影响。上世纪八十年代以后，国内一些史学和社会学学者开始承继始于上世纪四十年代的“绅士”研究，以中国社会固有的“绅士”这一概念来考察清季民国时期的中国社会。本次研究就借鉴了历史学、社会学的研究成果，以“绅士”这一全新的视角和文史互证的研究方法考察中国现代文学中的绅士形象谱系，并探究传统绅士阶层及其思想文化对现代作家精神世界的影响。本文将从清季民国的历史演进轨迹、中国现代文学的发生发展历程及知识精英在社会现代转型中的精神困境和思想观念变化三个层面探究以下几个方面内容：第一，中国现代文学作品在呈现清季民国时期重要历史事件时对绅士阶层的书写；第二，绅士阶层对中国现代文学的发生及各类文学思潮发展的影响；第三，在民国时期的社会、政治、经济体制变革中，传统绅士与新式知识精英的身份选择和心态转变以及现代作家在这种转型之下亦旧亦新、多元多歧的精神取向。第一章主要考察了中国现代文学在反映辛亥鼎革前后重要历史事件时对传统绅士阶层的表现。在清季民初的社会变革中，传统绅士的历史遭际引起了不少现代作家的密切关注。帝制时代，科举考试是社会阶层晋升的最重要渠道，也是绅士阶层产生的最主要机制。不少现代作家都在自己的文学创作中，展现了科考进仕制度及由此形成的社会文化氛围。此外，也有不少现代作家注意到了清末新政中，绅士阶层创建的新式学堂为士子提供了新的阶层晋升渠道并对绅士家庭的生活和思想观念产生重大影响。此外，在清末新政中，绅士主导的谘议局对中国社会现代化进程的推动作用也引起了现代作家的重视。辛亥革命之前的民权兴起和辛亥以后传统绅士主导下的地方自治独立运动都在中国现代文学作品中得到了生动的呈现。此外，也有现代作家注意到，民国成立以后，经济来源的变化导致了绅士阶层在管理地方事业上的积极意义逐渐减弱及绅士阶层内部思想观念的剧烈分化。第二章重点探究了绅士阶层怎样影响中国现代文学的发生及各种文艺思潮、流派的发展。首先，新文化运动的领军人物和新文学草创时期的代表作家要么本身就是具有科举功名的绅士，要么出身于绅士家庭，并或多或少地接受了以科举考试为目的的旧式教育。而新文学的主要读者——新式学堂的学生也大多来自于绅士家庭。这种特殊的时代背景极大地影响了中国现代文学的发生和发展。新文学早期的文学创作题材就集中于对以绅士家庭为代表的旧家庭的反叛。此外，由于新式学堂大多集中于大城市，知识青年不得不背井离乡，求学异地。当他们返回处于基层社会的故乡时，便开始不由自主地审视和书写自己所身处的乡土世界和从城市返乡之后的人生体验。在大量以乡土社会为题材的文学创作中，绅士阶层在维持地方秩序、调解诉讼等方面的作用和绅士在基层社会的特权地位得到了充分展现。随着清王朝的覆灭，官方对绅士阶层的道德要求和权力约束逐渐松动。民国时期，绅士阶层呈现出了显著的劣质化倾向。国民革命兴起以后，整个绅士集团都在政治上被划为了“土豪劣绅”这样一个反动的社会阶层。现代作家中有不少人是国民革命的亲历者。“打倒土豪劣绅”的政治风潮也在这些现代作家的笔下得到了不同层面的展现。在革命文学中，劣质化的绅士借着现代国家的暴力机关和行政机构以苛捐杂税盘剥农民的社会现实被大量书写。在三十年代的左翼文学中，以农村为题材的作品开始大量出现。这些文学创作集中反映了帝制时代建立起来的一套依靠绅士阶层处理社会危机体系的崩坏。而在上世纪40年代典型的土改文学作品中，绅士形象已变得十分稀少，取而代之的是“封建剥削地主”这样更切合土改政策的称呼。第三章深入关注了在民国时期传统绅士阶层的生存和精神困境及知识阶层在面对新兴职业选择时的内部分化和思想意识转变，并以此重新认识中国现代作家身份认同的游移和精神世界的重整。尽管国民革命前后，绅士阶层的劣质化造成了一种普遍的社会乱象，但是，民国以后，正派传统绅士对道德的坚守却依然在现代作家的文学书写中有所表现。另外，现代国家体制的逐步完善和现代工商业的繁荣发展为传统绅士阶层及知识精英提供了更多全新的职业选择。在这种职业生涯的现代转型中，知识阶层内部的经济收入、社会地位和思想观念的差距逐渐增大。而民国时期的知识阶层既开始逐渐认同自身的现代职业身份，又在无意识层面残留了传统绅士、士子的思想意识。这种新旧杂糅的心理样态也很大程度上构成了现代作家自身精神世界的矛盾纠结并极大地影响了他们的文学创作。最后，本文通过对绅士与中国现代文学之间关系的探究，指出了“绅士”并不是对“封建地主阶级”概念的补充，更无法作为“封建”这一概念的附属品。大量的现代作家并没有将绅士作为一个封建社会阶层看待。现代作家对“封建”概念的认识与接受也与目前学界的普遍观念相去甚远。因此，我们若不加辨析地任意使用“封建”、“反封建”、“封建社会”、“封建地主”等概念，就难免会悖离中国现代文学所反映的社会现实及作家本人的思想意识。因此，我们有必要返回清季民国时期具体的社会历史情境中，重新寻找更恰当的概念和视角来描述中国现代文学。

The modern Chinese literature was used to be seen as the demonstration of the course of New Democracy. The issue of the new democratic revolution has exerted a great influence on the research of the modern Chinese. Despite the class theory which was the dominant ideology has gradually lost its grip on the research of the modern Chinese. However, it is also universal in our potential recognition. And It is generally seen the widespread use of the conception such as the feudal landlord class, the comprador classes, petty-bourgeois etc.Actually,the class theory was already not the only method to explain the Chinese social in historical studies and sociological studies. The concept of the feudal landlord class has been takenthe place of the concept of gentry which is built-in localized Chinese social and be lead into field of research in 1940s in historiography field and sociological field since 1980s.This paper and investigate the stereotypical image of gentry in the modern Chinese literature and The influences from the thinking and culture of gentry on the Chinese modern writer By adapting from the research results of historical studies and sociological studies from a new angles of gentry.It is well known that a great number of Chinese modern writers and their family lived through the course of Chinese social transform from tradition to modern. The life of gentry which is the traditional power elite concerned numerous Chinese modern writers. Accordingly, gentry’s life and spirit around the 1911 Revolution was show in modern Chinese literature. On one hand, Chinese modern writers narrate the circumstances of imperial examination system which is gentry emergeat the end of Qing dynasty. On the other hand, the situation that new school education which generally instead of imperial examination has become another ladder of success for the scholar was express in modern Chinese literature. While some Chinese modern writers notice the structural transformation of the economy has alter many facets of gentry in the early Republic period.In terms of the origin and development of the Chinese New-Culture Movement and the New Literary Movement, gentry still play a pivotal role.The early writers, thinkers and chief champions of the Chinese New-Culture Movement are gentry or birth in gentry family. This type of background Lead to the theme of the early New Literary concentrate on the conflict in the Old-style family which center upon gentry family, especially onthe arranged marriage. Another result of the new school education which built by gentry is that educated youths must leave their hometown in the countries for the reason that the new schools center in metropolis.Therefore, while they came back the rural area which was controlled by gentry arouse their reflection on traditional social order that appear on their literature. Subsequently, during the national revolution, the gentry were qualified as the local tyrantson the political situation.The image of gentry in modern Chinese literature has become increasingly negative. Andthe image of the evil gentry could be easily found In the Left-wing Literature which is concern about the peasantry’s lives. The transition of gentry and the evolvement of the modern Chinese literature were closely linked.Even though the phenomenon of the evil gentry was common，however some modern literature maintained the positive image of gentry and sympathize traditional gentry’s dilemma fronm Chinese modernization. For sake of the establishment of modern government and the development of modern industry and commerce, there are so various new careers that gentry and their children could accomplish the modern transformation.In addition, it could be found out that the concept of gentry is not the complement of the concept of feudalism, even gentry is not belong to feudal period via this study. There are a lot of modern writers were not regarding gentry as a feudal class. The concept of feudalism is not a proper word to comment the modern Chinese literature.