文學としての孔子世家

Abstract

Ssŭ-ma Ch'ien's biography of Confucius, Shihchi 47, has been the subject of considerable controversy and varying interpretations, particularly in recent years. Disregarding for the moment the question of the historical accuracy of the biography, the writer has here attempted briefly to analyze the chapter as a work of literature. The structure of the biography, the principle themes, and the use of such literary devices as songs, orations, and symbols have been examined in relation to other biographies of the Shihchi. Finally the writer has tried to relate Ssŭ-ma Ch'ien's view of Confucius with the historian's own theories of literature and history.