It’s been remarked previously that Sima Qian’s history reads like a novel while remaining a work of history,
heavily characterized by action and fictitious speech that function as the motor of narrative development. We
see this more pointedly in the chapter on Hsiao Yü and Kao Tsu. How is this way of remembering history
different and/or more effective than merely describing the turns of events? Why is it important from the
historical perspective? How do you see the subjectivity and objectivity intertwined in such description of
characters?
Sample Solution