陕西理工大学学报（社会科学版）

回顾中国新文学史，沈从文是审美现代性启蒙叙事传统的标志性作家，这一传统在其代表作《边城》中得到了集中体现。作为书写诗化乡村和浪漫边地的小说《边城》，其“边”的表现是多层次的，背后也包含着丰富的文学意涵。首先，从受众预设来看，择取占据少数的理想读者，寄托改造国民精神的启蒙期许。其次，从地理空间来看，立足湘西边地的自然地理与乡土风俗，深入体察这片特殊地理空间的矛盾性、互动性和独特性，构筑远离现代文明的精神原乡。再次，从人物设定来看，将目光投向老人、孩童等边缘群体，以大爱之心观照其生存现状和精神面貌，借以守护未经异化的本真人性。最后，从题材选择来看，避开重大历史题材，以生活化、日常化和审美化的叙事方式，审视民族品性在近代以来逐步流失的珍贵特质。正是从审美视角对富有现代气息的乡村生活的介入，使《边城》成为边地文学的经典范式。

In reviewing the history of modern Chinese literature, Shen Congwen stands as an iconic figure in the tradition of aesthetic modernist enlightenment narratives, a tradition that finds its most concentrated expression in his masterpiece Border Town. As a novel that depicts a poetic countryside and a romantic frontier, Border Town presents the concept of the“ border” in a multi-layered manner, revealing rich literary implications beneath the surface. First, by targeting a select, ideal readership, he channels the enlightenment aspiration to transform the national spirit. Second, by grounding the narrative in the natural geography and local customs of western Hunan's borderlands, the novel deeply explores the contradictions, interactions, and uniqueness of this distinct geographical space, thereby constructing a spiritual homeland removed from modern civilization. Third, it turns its gaze toward marginalized groups such as the elderly and children, observing their living conditions and spiritual state with profound compassion, thereby safeguarding authentic human nature untouched by alienation. Finally, by avoiding major historical themes and adopting a narrative style that is grounded in everyday life and aestheticized, the novel examines the precious qualities of the national character that have gradually eroded since modern times. It is precisely this aesthetic engagement with modern rural life that elevates Border Town to a classic paradigm of frontier literature.