Embodying Poetic Sensibility in History & Conveying Intentions through Metaphorical Comparisons: On QIAN Zhongshu’s Historical Analogy and the Construction of Literary History

The construction of QIAN Zhongshu’s historical analogy begins with an inquiry into the credibility of history shaped by personal perspectives. QIAN argues that one’s understanding of history remains profoundly conditioned by one’s era, intellectual framework, and values although historical writing strives for objectivity. This argument is developed through an analysis of the dialectic between distinction and opposition. Consequently, the comprehension of the past often unfolds as a dynamic process of reciprocal illumination between past and present, characterized by mutual analogy and comparison. By engaging with the historical theories of CROCE and COLLINGWOOD, QIAN further systematized this argument. On the one hand, he rejects historical teleology and grand philosophies of history, emphasizing instead the autonomy and integrity of the past. On the other hand, he insists on rigorously distinguishing cause from effect in historical writing. On this basis, he directs his critique toward the long-standing tendencies of literary evolutionism and determinism of time and place in literary historiography. He contends that the construction of literary history must likewise follow the dual principles of his historical analogy. Furthermore, linking this view with literary history gives a vivid embodiment to his hermeneutic methodology. This linkage reflects its core principle of grounding interpretation in the present while fostering dialogue across ancient and current, Chinese and foreign traditions.