20세기 초 중국유학생 잡지를 통한 ‘문사(文士)’ 의식의 변화 고찰 ― 루쉰(魯迅)의 일본 유학시기를 중심으로

Abstract

The creation and transmission of intellectual discourse in early modern East Asia was often led by elite international students. By 19th century, the traditional intellectual system of China was exhaustive and did not function properly anymore. Opposing to the academics of the past, those who aggressively pursued modernity were those who went to Japan or other Western countries to study abroad and to experience Western civilization. They, as intellectual elites, overturned their concept of traditional East Asia academics and literati and were at the forefront of recreating a new form of academics and ‘文士’ as well as the role of literati. Although Lu Xun(魯迅) does not necessarily represent the traditional literati’s consciousness of Chinese international students at that time, however, his writings during his study overseas showed a constant pattern of combining and embracing traditional thoughts and modern Western ideas. Early in his age, Lu Xun not only imitated traditional study methods of Chinese literati, but also developed his own taste and creative attitude toward academics. How he understands and accepts this idea did not change even after he began receiving Western style education. His maiden works written for magazines “Zhejiang Chao(『浙江潮』)” and “Henan(『河南』)” also portray his critical attitude of the harmonization across all ages and countries. It is as if Yan Fu(嚴復) and Zhang Taiyan(章太炎), protagonists from Lu Xun’s writing coexist with Stirner, Nietzche, and Byron. With the education from traditional Chinese gentry and his unique personality made him an idealist who practices social reform and a passionate revolutionary practitioner who arbitrarily interprets and tailors Western literature and art. It is evident that Lu Xun’s ideas were not fully developed in his writings during this time but, it is worth peeking through his fundamental ideas amongst his vastly accumulated literature.