Study On The Theme Of Revenge In The Records Of The Historian

The Records of the Historian provides a more comprehensive record of the history from the ancient times to the early Han Dynasty,and revenge,as a common cultural phenomenon in the pre-Qin and Han periods,becomes one of the important components of The Records of the Historian.Sima Qian’s treatment of revenge materials in the pre-Qin period eventually presents a group of differentiated images of revenge in The Records of the Historian.This paper examines the instances of revenge involved in The Records of the Historian as a whole and divides them into four parts.In the first part,we examine how The Records of the Historian transcend the subject of revenge in the pre-Qin period.The phenomenon of revenge has a long history.In the pre-Qin period,we can see traces of the idea of revenge in myths and legends,literary works and historical biographies.The Records of the Historian,on the other hand,has modified the content of some revenge stories on the basis of these themes,mainly by expanding the revenge scenarios of Wu Zixu and Goujian,weakening the revenge images of Fuchai and Yan Zhongzi,and selecting controversial events such as Xi Ke and Xia Zhengshu.The second part examines the presentation of the theme of revenge in The Records of the Historian and its basic characteristics.The themes of revenge in The Records of the Historian can be divided into four categories: personal revenge,revenge for clan members,revenge for the monarch and the state,and revenge for others.The theme of revenge in The Records of the Historian presents three characteristics: the revenge characters are mostly from the upper class of society,the instances of revenge against the king of the state gradually decrease,and the acts of revenge show a tendency to expand and become cruel.In the third part,we analyze the artistic techniques used in the theme of revenge in The Records of the Historian.Firstly,it is the combination of narration and composition,and Sima Qian likes to choose the very best people as the focus of his writing.Secondly,he uses the method of inter-vision to build a system of revenge characters,and he is good at creating a group of revenge characters in the story.Lastly,he uses the technique of creating a realistic and imaginary character.On the one hand,Sima Qian abandons the theory of revenge by ghosts and gods in the pre-Qin Dynasty,and on the other hand,he uses dreams and legends to add legendary colors to the revenge stories.The fourth part examines the influence of the theme of revenge on The Records of the Historian.In terms of plot,the plot of Gou Jian’s "tasting the gall" and the non-trustworthy material of Zhao’s orphans were preserved and developed.In terms of narrative mode,later literature mainly inherited the narrative focus and revenge strategy of The Records of the Historian.In terms of value orientation,The Records of the Historian further developed the writing of clan revenge and chivalrous revenge.