南朝文學長期給我們綺麗雕琢的印象，對於山水物色宮體等題材的書寫，大概是此一時代文學的特徵。也因此，身處「江南佳麗地」的作家們，何以開展出一批以邊塞苦寒為題材的作品，一直是學者們探究的議題。本文選擇此一議題，試著歸納整理幾位重要學者的論述，並探索他們的思維脈絡、背景，進而從這些意見之中，梳理出最接近事實原貌的可能性。根據我的看法，南朝邊塞詩的興起當然可能有收復失土的慾望，文化再現的企圖，但就文本的解讀而言，我們未必能讀出那麼明確的意向性。而我認為：關於南朝邊塞詩的成因―最肯定的解釋，就是當時擬代的風氣與以及創作的遊戲性。這一群缺乏真實邊塞經驗的創作者，在這樣角色扮演與拼貼中，達成了遊戲目的，而這樣的遊戲則透顯出後現代性特徵。

The literature of the Southern Dynasties has left a deep and lasting impression on us. Its writings on landscape, scenery and palace-style themes are probably the most distinctive feature of the literature of the period. For this reason, scholars have long debated why writers living in the beautiful environs of Jiangnan江南 also wrote a number of works describing the bitterly cold environment of the frontier fortresses. In this paper, I attempt to summarize and analyze the views of several important scholars on this question, exploring their background and thinking, and drawing out those views that seem to fit the facts most closely. In my opinion, it is of course possible that the appearance of this frontier poetry is a reflection of the desire of these southern poets to somehow recover the northern territory that had been lost or an attempt to recreate its culture. However in this paper I suggest that it is not necessarily possible to read such clear intentionality into these poems; I believe that the emergence of this frontier poetry in the Southern Dynasties can most likely be explained as a development borne of the common practices of the time of writing imitative and persona poetry, and a form of literary game play. Despite lacking any real experience of the frontier, in this use of role-play and bricolage these poets achieved the objectives of the game.