关键词: 文学史； , 晚清通俗小说； , 狭邪小说； , 《海上花列传》

Abstract: The study of courtesan novels over the last century was essentially a response to the question whether popular fiction in the late Qing dynasty had the value of literary “classics”. Subjected to literary utilitarianism and the dominance of elite culture， literary histories written in the first half of the twentieth century did not give positive evaluations to courtesan novels. However， The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai stood out and was canonized in the academic context of the long-standing concept of “elegance and vulgarity”. Since 1980s， researchers began to reexamine the value of courtesan novels in literary history and to broaden research horizons for late-Qing popular literature. The research not only exposes the acceptance dilemma of courtesan novels along with a value turn in the last century but also points to the investigation of the reasons why popular literature in the late Qing dynasty has not been sufficiently studied.

Key words: literary history； , popular fiction in the late Qing dynasty； , courtesan novel；  The Sing-song Girls of Shanghai