What methods are mainly used to shape the characters in Historical Records?

1, accurate material selection and reasonable tailoring.

Sima Qian carefully arranged the selection of materials, abandoned some minor and non-essential things in the lives of those historical figures, and selected the materials that can best express their personality characteristics and thoughts and feelings, and vividly reproduced them according to the true colors of life.

The Biography of Huaiyin Hou is an article with strong literary color in Historical Records. The author selected several typical events in Han Xin's life to elaborate and vividly write, highlighting Han Xin's resourcefulness and general demeanor. Han Xin experienced many wars in his life. If everything is recorded, the article will be mediocre. It is with this in mind that the author focuses on the war between Jingxing and Weishui.

Through some typical events, the author expounds the causes of his tragic fate, such as arguing with Gaozu, not listening to Kuai Tong's advice, meeting with Chen Yi, being suspicious and not knowing it, and shows Han Xin's kind and credulous personality profile. It is the mutual echo of these events that constitutes the versatility, distinctiveness and richness of Han Xin's character.

2, finely carved, vivid and vivid

Detail description is one of the important means for literary works to shape artistic images. Sima Qian wrote biographies of characters, not only grasping the important events in their lives for colorful rendering, but also paying great attention to selecting some typical details for careful carving, thus showing the characters' personality characteristics and revealing their mental outlook.

Liu Bang is one of the most vivid figures in Sima Qian's works, so Liu Bang is described in detail the most. These details are closely linked, which further depicts Liu Bang's image as a politician who is far-sighted, far-sighted, aware of public opinion, obedient to public opinion, good at planning and thinking of the world. It can be said that the versatility and complexity of Liu Bang's personality are portrayed through detailed description, and Liu Bang's image is therefore vivid.

3, write conflict, force out the characters.

Describing characters in the whirlpool of contradictions and struggles is the easiest way to reveal their personality characteristics and spiritual world. Sima Qian, with his keen artistic observation and superb writing skills, consciously or unconsciously used this artistic law to create a large number of flesh-and-blood and unique historical figures, adding a lot of color to the masterpiece Historical Records.

This is fully reflected in the portrayal of Xiang Yu's image in Xiang Yu Benji. It can be said that Xiang Yu is one of the most successful, vivid, plump and tragic artistic images in Historical Records.

The author is full of sympathy and regret for this character, with complex and rich feelings, and describes and portrays him in three important events related to the success or failure of his life and career: the Battle of the Julu, the banquet at the Hongmen Gate and the siege at Gaixia.

These three struggles are of great significance in the contest between Liu and Xiang, and ultimately decide who is the master of the world. It is in such strong contradictions and conflicts that Xiang Yu's image gradually became full and became a tragic figure respected and sympathized by future generations.

4. Compare characters in pairs.

Sima Qian used a lot of comparative techniques in writing biographies of Historical Records. In Biography of Wei Gongzi, Wang Wei's lethargy and mediocrity are in sharp contrast with Wei Gongzi's determination and calmness. Ping Yuanjun's ignorance and hypocrisy are in sharp contrast with Wei Gongzi's knowledge and knowledge. Hou Ying's scheming and prudent attitude is in sharp contrast with Wei's generosity, kindness and enthusiasm.

There are also different biographies that are compared from a distance, such as Biography of Xiang Yu and Biography of Gao Zu, which are in sharp contrast everywhere.

From the perspective of personal temperament, Liu Bang is cunning and fickle, and Xiang Yu is loyal and persistent; Compared with political talent, Liu Bang is far-sighted and Xiang Yu is short-sighted. Compared with the political policy, Liu Bang obeyed the people's heart and attached importance to it, while Xiang Yu rebelled against it and despised it. From the point of view of life attitude, Liu Bang is ruthless, Xiang Yu values emotion and righteousness ... Comparatively speaking, readers can see their advantages and disadvantages at a glance.

5. The language is unique and the personality is outstanding.

The biographical language in Historical Records is rich and colorful, accurate and vivid, which gives people a very deep impression. Sima Qian's genius lies in that he can accurately write down the characters that can best express the character characteristics in a specific language environment. This is the so-called personalized language, which is another important means for Sima Qian to describe characters.

The dialogue between Han Xin and Liu Bang about generals in the Biography of Huaiyin Hou, the imitation of stuttering in the Biography of Prime Minister Zhang, and the bold and honest words in the Biography of Wei An Hou are all well written, highlighting the character characteristics of the characters.

6. Go deep into the characters' hearts and enrich their images.

If we want to make the characters vivid and full, we can't do without the peep and expression of the characters' inner activities, because as small as a character's actions and words, as big as a character's doing something, we must reflect his simple or complex psychology at that time, so that we can grasp the characters' psychology at the moment and show it. As a historian, Sima Qian used psychological description to describe characters, and there was no suspicion of inaccuracy.

For example, the description of Liu Bang and Xiao He's mutual suspicion in Xiao Jia, and the description of Gaozu's self-doubt and hiding between Mang and Dangshan Zeyan in Biography of Gaozu are all very vivid and vivid characters.

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