19세기 중반 이후 서구의 의한 강제적인 문호 개방에 시달리며 문명의 큰 충격을 경험한 중국의 전통적인 문사들은 새로운 지적 생성을 도모해야 했다. 이 과정에서 선도적인 역할을 한 엘리트집단은 자국을 무력화시킨 서구 문명국의 유학생들이라 할 수 있다. 이들 초기 유 학생 대부분은 전통학문을 훈습하였고 전통적인 ‘문사(文士)’들의 전철을 밟은 인물들로 전통 문인의 기질과 품격을 아우르고 있었으며 자국의 문화와 학문에 대한 자존감은 여전하였다. 본고에서는 이처럼 전통 학문과 서구 학문을 모두 총섭하고 유학까지 경험한 루쉰(魯迅)의 일본 유학시기에 초점을 맞추어 그가 유학생 잡지 절강조(浙江潮)와 하남(河南)에 발표 한 글을 통해 루쉰의 전통적 사유와 서구의 사상관념이 어떻게 교응(交應)하는지를 살피는데 주목하였다.

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.

• 박노종(동의대학교 인문대학 중국어학과) | Park, Lo-Jong