从“文史不分”到“文史异辙”:略议中国古代正史传记

From unity to separation of literature and history —Discussion on classical Chinese biographies of official history

从古代文、史两家由合而分的变化的背景看 ,司马迁的《史记》作为历朝“正史”的开山之作 ,在写人艺术方面表现出了令人惊异的超前性 ,奏出了许多暗合现代传记观的精彩乐章。司马迁之所以能取得如此卓越的成就 ,与其文、史并重的思想观念不无关联。其后的正史受“文史异辙”的史学观念影响 ,普遍存在作家主体意识的消退、人物形象的干瘪。

On the background of the changes from unity to separation of Chinese classical literature and history, my paper points out that Sima Qian, who started the practice of writing official biographies, demonstrated a marvelous leading consciousness in the art of human description that is consonant with modern biographical ideas. The excellence of Sima Qian can be attributed to the importance he gave to both literature and history. After considering the attempts to separate literature and history in the writing of biographies, I analyze the common flaws of biographies of official history (with the exception, of course, of those written by Sima Qian in Shiji). These flaws include a reduced subjectivity, the oversimplification of heroes, and the tedium of words. My paper concludes by noting the need for systematic research on official biographies written during the Chinese classical period.