Narrative Devices in the Shiji: Retelling the Past (Suny Chinese Philosophy and Culture)

Narrative Devices in the Shiji : Retelling the Past offers the first systematic analysis of narratives in early Chinese historical writings from 400 BCE to 100 CE, with a focus on the Shiji (Records of the Historian), a vast collection of historical accounts completed by Sima Qian (145-86 BCE). For centuries, the dominant approach to the Shiji has been to infer Sima's intentions from his biographical experiences and subsequently project them back into the text. This has caused the import of the work to be overshadowed by Sima's tragedy of castration, and has minimized the question of how narrative as a form affects the text's interpretation. Lei Yang fills the gap by exploring how Sima manipulated the Shiji 's narrative structure to represent the past. Drawing on Grard Genette's narratological theories, the book examines how sequences of events build causality, what is slowed down and sped up to manage information control, and how the text provides multiple perspectives on the same events. Redefining the Shiji 's place as a turning point in Chinese textual history, Narrative Devices in the Shiji sheds light on the evolution of early Chinese historiography. As an interdisciplinary dialogue between Chinese texts and the Western theories, it opens the Shiji to new interpretations and provides a novel framework for Chinese historical writings. Contents Acknowledgments Introduction The Tradition of Biographical Reading Returning to the Narratives Structure of the Book Chapter 1 The Turn to Textual Unity Historical Context: Fragmentation and Fluidity of Early Texts Records of the Historian: The Turning Point Consistency in Character Character Development Conclusion Chapter 2 Temporal Order: Weaving a Synthesized Causality Temporal Orders Chronological Order Establishing Cumulative Causes Simultaneous Events Incorporating Situational Stimuli Prolepses Highlighting Essential Inner Qualities Analepses Connecting Specific Actions Conclusion Chapter 3 Narrative Speed: Elaborating Stairs Ascending to Power Narrative Speed Prophecy versus Process: The Tian Lineage’s Usurpation in Zuo Commentary and Records of the Historian Progress versus “Facts”: Empress Dowager Lü in Records of the Historian and History of the Han Conclusion Chapter 4 Multiple Points of View: Illuminating Desires and Dynamics Point of View Rulers and Their Consorts Rulers and Ministers Conclusion Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index