Worlds of Bronze and Bamboo: Sima Qian's Conquest of History (Hardcover)

1. Introduction: Why History?
The Role of History in Chinese Culture
Sima Qian and History
2. Representing the World
The Structure of the MDUL Shiji MDNM
Reading the Structure
A Bamboo World
3. Microcosmic Reading I
The Web of History
Multiple Narrations
4. Microcosmic Reading II
The Significance of Events
Assessing Generalizations
5. Shaping the World
Judgmental History
The MDUL Shiji MDNM as a Hermeneutical Tool
Transforming the World
6. Confucian Reading I
Guiding Interpretation
Chronicling the Sage
7. Confucian Reading II
A World of Bronze
Contesting the World
8. Understanding the World
Fitting the Times
The Limits of Rationality
Knowing and Being Known
Epilogue
Notes
Glossary
Bibliography