Social Sciences in China (Chinese Edition)

No.1, 2017

 

“Out of Control” Texts and Tacit Literary Criticism: A Case Study of Shiji and Its Research

(Abstract)

 

Cheng Sudong

 

On the basis of different modes of text generation, the Records of the Grand Historian (Shiji史记) can be divided into Sima Qian’s original compositions, written independently, and the derivative texts that he compiled and revised on the basis of existing material. In the case of the latter, Sima Qian used various editing strategies to “rewrite” different types of material, including classics and biographies, genealogies, and earlier philosophic works, from a variety of sources and possessing different functions, into an ordered text with a largely consistent language style, narrative form and standpoint. In the course of compilation, he encountered some unavoidable omissions in terms of transplanting, supplementing or excerpting these texts, leaving some “out of control” in varying degrees. These out-of-control texts, which display the process by which the compiler sought to construct an ordered text and the predicaments he faced in doing so, turn out to be an effective way to enter the deep structure of Sima Qian’s work, allowing us to understand both the intentions of the compiler and the strategies he adopted and providing a useful approach for literary criticism of this type of text. Identifying and researching the typology of these cases not only helps us gain an in-depth understanding of the process whereby Sima Qian compiled the Records of the Grand Historian, but also provides a foundation that enables us to recognize the literary value of these derivative texts.