老舍与国民精神

国民精神的范畴来自鲁迅等先驱，但老舍自有其独特贡献。老舍的眼睛既是市民的眼睛，又是受过西方文明洗礼的现代知识分子的眼睛。他眼中的国民精神是全面的、发展的，从简单的善恶对立发展到辩证的交错组合。他笔下国民精神的主流是他舍尽心血描写的大量平凡而又复杂的中间人物。老舍是集传统精神之大成的现代知识分子。他的内心世界与处世态度存在着矛盾，因而他又是一个十分复杂的知识分子。国民精神具有时代性，当代作家应从老舍的成就和不足中领会出国民精神与当代文学发展的关系。

Lao She and the Chinese Nationality

Though Lu Xun and some other literary figures start the debate about the meaning of the Chinese nationality in literature, Lao She has made his unique contribution to the debate. He looks at the world through the eyes of both an urban petty bourgeois and a modern intellectual who has received western education. The Chinese nationality, in the eyes of Lao She, evolves from simple dichotomy of the evil and the good, and becomes a dialectic complex. He creates a series of common and complex midway characters. Lao She is a modern intellectual of traditional Chinese spirits. There are conflicts between his manners and his inner world. The author argues that the Chinese nationality develops along the line of historical changes, and contemporary writers will benefit from the critique of both Lao She's accomplishments and his deficiency.