在20年代初、中期，小說創作上出現了一種被稱為“鄉土小說”的作品。“鄉土小說”指的是20年代初、中期，一批寓居北京、上海的作傢，以自己熟悉的故鄉風土人情為題材，旨在揭示宗法製鄉鎮生活的愚昧、落後，並藉以抒發自己鄉愁的小說。這批作傢有馮文炳（廢名）、王魯彥、臺靜農、彭傢煌、許傑等。
鄉土小說的興起，是新文學小說對“五四”小說過於西方化的一次反撥。“五四”小說以鮮明的人文主義思想追求和對西方近現代文學及語言的藉鑒與中國傳統小說劃清了界限、實現了小說的革命，然而“五四”小說創作因此也存在很多弊端。其一是概念化，小說成了作傢演繹思想、表達觀念的形式，這個弊端主要表現在問題小說中；其二是歐化，這主要集中在浪漫小說中。浪漫小說不僅在抒情方式上直接藉用了19世紀西方浪漫文學（尤其是盧梭的作品）的抒情方式，而且在抒情主人公的塑造上也過多受到盧梭及歌德的《少年維特的煩惱》的影響，因而這一派小說在敘事上不象小說，而在語言上則又非本土化。針對這種缺陷，新文學作傢曾呼籲文學的“地方色彩”，提倡文學應有“從土裏滋長出來的個性”，號召作傢“須得跳到地面上來，把土氣息、泥滋味透過了他的脈搏，表現在文字上”。所以，鄉土小說在20年代初、中期的崛起，實際是新文學在革命之後着手建設的象徵，反映了新文學現實主義的追求。
最早創作鄉土小說並證明其藝術魅力的，是魯迅。但是，無論是魯迅還是那些後來被稱為鄉土作傢的青年作傢，在20年代初、中期都不曾明確使用過“鄉土文學”或“鄉土小說”的概念，更未以此相標榜。最早將這批作傢回憶故鄉、抒寫鄉愁的小說稱為“鄉土文學”的，是魯迅1928年在《中國新文學大係小說二集導言》中。後來人們便沿用這一概念指稱這一時期的這批作傢的創作。
鄉土小說作傢很多都是直接受魯迅的影響並有意識地模仿魯迅而開始創作的，大都師承了魯迅小說的批判國民性特點，較少造作，剋服了概念化，以一種質樸和真實的面貌為當時小說創作界吹進一股清風。
鄉土小說的主要特徵，首先是作傢以批判的眼光審視故鄉風習，對愚昧、落後進行尖銳的諷刺與批判。其次，鄉土小說作傢往往懷着哀其不幸、怒其不爭的復雜情緒描繪生活與苦難中而又麻木、愚昧的故鄉人，同情與批判，諷刺與哀憐相互交織，形成鄉土小說喜劇與悲劇相交融的美學風格。第三，在批判和描繪故鄉愚昧習俗、麻木人性、凄涼人生時，鄉土小說作傢仍然抑住不住對故鄉的眷戀，而這眷戀又往往與某種失落感相交織，因而小說大都具有抑鬱的抒情調子。
In the early 20s, medium, appeared on a novel called "Country Novel" works. "Local Literature" refers to the early 20s, medium, number of resident in Beijing, Shanghai, writer, home of their own customs and familiar theme, the rule of law to reveal the number of rural life, ignorance, backwardness, and to express their nostalgic Fiction. These writers Feng Wenbing (Fei Ming), Wang Lu-yan, Tai Jingnong, Peng Jiahuang, Xu Jiedeng.
Local rise of the novel, is a new literary fiction of "54" too Westernized a novel anti-allocated. "54" Humanism novel pursuit of a clear-cut and modern western literature and language reference and drawn a line of traditional Chinese fiction, the novel realization of the revolutionary, but "54" novels and therefore there are many disadvantages. One is conceptual, the novel became a writer deductive thinking, in the form of the expression of ideas, just that the problem mainly in the novel; second, Europeanization, mainly concentrated in the romantic novel. Romantic novel way not only in lyrical direct borrowing of the 19th century romantic literature of the West (especially the works of Rousseau) lyrical way, but also in shaping the lyrical hero is also too much by Rousseau and Goethe's "Sorrows of Young Werther" and impact, which this school is not in narrative fiction as fiction, while in another non-native language. In view of this defect, a new literary writers have called literature "local color" to promote literature should "grow out from the earth's personality," called writers "must apply to the ground up, the soil atmosphere, taste through the mud his pulse, reflected in the wording. " Thus, the early local novel in 20, mid-rise, actually started after the new literature in the construction of the revolutionary symbol, reflecting the pursuit of new literary realism.
Creation of Local Literature and the earliest proof of their artistic charm, is Lu Xun. However, both Lu Xun or local writers who became known as the young writer, in the early 20s, medium, have not explicitly used "local literature" or "Country Novel" concept, but not advertised in this phase. Home of the earliest memories of this group of writers, describe nostalgic novel called "local literature" is Lu Xun in 1928, "Novel two sets of Chinese New Literature Series Introduction". Later, the concept that people will follow these writers in this period the alleged creation.
Local fiction writers many of which are directly affected by the influence of Lu Xun and consciously begin to imitate the writing of Lu Xun, Lu Xun largely modeled after the critical features of national character, less artificial, to overcome the conceptual, with a simple and true face of the then Fiction community began an breeze.
The main features of local fiction, first writer to critically examine the practice home of the wind, on the ignorance and backwardness for sharp satire and criticism. Second, local fiction writers often With Sorrow Misfortune, Blame Him depict the complex emotional life and suffering but numb, ignorant people from his homeland, sympathy and criticism, irony and pity are intertwined to form a local novel, blending comedy and tragedy The aesthetic style. Third, criticism and ignorance custom painted home, numbness of human nature, sad life, the local writers still Yizhu not live on love of hometown, and this attachment is often intertwined with a sense of loss, which mostly have depression lyrical novel tone.