王韜是中國近代頗具影響力的一個人物。本文系統地回顧學界對他的生平與思想的研究，並依據這些研究的主題和方法將關於王韜的工作分為三個階段。從王韜逝世到一九三○年代中為初期，注意力集中在關於王韜的遺聞軼事的搜集整理；繼之而來的是五○年代至六○年代初的工作，焦點集中於王韜和太平天國的關係——即所謂的「上書」問題。七○年代以後，特別是過去的十年間，對王韜的生平思想的綜合研究有了長足的進展。本文對這一時期中出版的兩本主要著作，即忻平的《王韜評傳》和 Paul Cohen 的《在傳統和現代性之間》(中譯本)作細緻的討論，指出在王韜研究中的 Pygmalion——即美化拔高現象和「現代化」傾向。筆者認為，中國近代史的研究首先是對中國近代發展的複雜性的研究。這種複雜性集中表現在諸如王韜這樣的兼及中西文化，經歷複雜的知識分子身上。

Studies of Wang Tao started right after his death in 1897 and his life and work have continued to attract scholars ever since. Differing approaches and methods used to evaluate Wang have led to the development of three distinct assessments of his career. At first he was portrayed as an erudite and idiosyncratic individual. Then, he was depicted as an opportunist flirting simultaneously with Taiping revolutionaries, Christian missionaries, and the Qing court. Finally, he was seen as a pioneer of Westernization in late 19th century China. This paper reviews and evaluates these studies and argues for a comprehensive understanding of the man and of the culture that created him.

王韜; 現代性; 近代史; 西化

Wang Tao; modernity; modern history; Westernization