The seven essays by Chen Pingyuan gathered in this collection are mainly focused on the evolution of the fictional genre during the transitional period of late Qing and May Fourth : the role played by periodicals, the relationship between elitist and popular literature, the link between modern fiction and tradition. In a broader perspective, they address the cultural changes that took place in these challenging times : the teaching of literature or arts at the old Beijing University, the place of the Dianshizhai pictorial between popular culture and Western modernity.Through their approach, these essays show evidence of the transformations that occurred in China during the last 25 years in the field of research on modern Chinese literature and culture.Les sept essais de Chen Pingyuan que rassemble le present recueil portent principalement sur l'evolution du genre romanesque lors de la periode de transition de la fin des Qing et du 4 mai : role de la presse, rapport entre litterature elitiste et litterature populaire, lien entre le roman moderne et la tradition. Ils evoquent de facon plus large les changements culturels survenus a cette epoque charniere : l'enseignement de la litterature ou celui des arts a l'ancienne universite de Pekin, la place de la revue illustree Dianshizhai entre culture populaire et modernite occidentale.Ces essais temoignent par leur approche des transformations survenues en Chine meme, au cours des vingt-cinq dernieres annees, dans la recherche sur la litterature et la culture chinoises modernes.