現代學術視野下的唐傳奇研究，起源於魯迅、汪辟彊與陳寅恪三位學者從各自的學術立場分別提出一份「經典書單」開始，半個多世紀以來，學界在這個框架中，或補苴、或商榷、或辨駁，然而對於何謂「傳奇」？其文體特質為何？與古文運動、科舉、社會、士人群體之間的關係為何？乃至於傳奇作為有唐一代標誌的新體文學之一，應該放在怎樣的歷史分期中，去看待其與時代和文化的關係？均還有許多探索的空間。本論題從近現代中國文學史知識建構的問題意識出發，首先廓清傳奇一體，指出中唐之際元白士人集團以「追憶」和「補過」為框架，形成一種晝讌夜談的敘事結構，可謂最為典型的中唐傳奇體；至於韓柳諸家以傳奇筆法為「古文」，應理解為一種跨文類的文體實驗，從而以文化史的視角來看，這種文體實驗的興起正反映了時代的變遷，呼應著中國文學史上新體的出現，可以彰顯其中的時代轉折與個體意識。換言之，文體論涉及的不只是文學與藝術的表現方式，更是歷史上的作者、讀者與作品在特定的時空中彼此對話，形成流動的文化景觀。＊

Research of chuanqi傳奇 (Tang Tales) in modern academia initiated from Lu Xun魯迅, Wang Bijiang汪辟彊, and Chen Yinke陳寅恪 respectively providing a list of Chinese canons that represents their academic background / training. Within the recent fifty years, scholars basically follow the frameworks Lu, Wang, and Chen set up and continuously supplement and deliberate them, and debate with each other with the surmise. However, many questions still require more detailed exploration. For example, how to define Chuanqi? What generic qualities does Chuanqi possess? What is the interactions among the movement of ancient-style prose, the civil service examination, society and the literati’s communities? As a new form, what are the influences from culture and the era it belongs to? This paper starts with the idea of knowledge -building of Chinese literary history in early modern period. I would like to argue that in the Mid-Tang, based on “remembrance” and “reparation,” the literati group led by Yuan Zhen元稹 and Bai juyi白居易 developed the narrative structure through joining banquets during the days and chatting in the nights; those features shape the typical Chuanqi in the Mid-Tang. Secondly, Han Yu韓愈 and Liu Zongyuan’s柳宗元writing ancient-style prose by means of techniques of chuanqi should be understood as an experiment of cross-genre. From the perspective of cultural history, the rise of the generic experiment attests vicissitudes in the history and the appearance of a new form manifests changes of its age as well as the authors’ minds. In other words, the theory of genres/forms is not only about the ways that how literature and art demonstrate but also dialogues among authors, readers, and literary works during certain time and space in the history.