What makes SQ's writing valuable?

In his Letter to Ren An, (Q p.236m), SQ writes in his records that he “gathered up and brought together all the old traditions that were scattered and lost” and “examined the events of the past and investigated the principles behind their success and failure, their rise and decay.” He claims here to “put forward my views in one school of interpretation”. I will write below why his histories are valuable for me as a reader. First, by compiling old and scattered “traditions” SQ aims to craft a cohesive text, meant to restore the lost and needed clarity about China’s past. Second, the quote above suggests that he did not only describe relevant historical events, but he looked at them in the light of some (moral) principles with the help of which he teaches the reader which values bring success and which ones destruction. If someone asks why to read these records and not study moral teachings directly-such as those of Confucius or Mencius, this brings us to the third quality: SQ’s text is unique by its multidimensionality, in that it is not either just historical or ethical, but it blends both perspectives simultaneously. Moreover, compared to a manual of ethical philosophy which is often difficult to understand practically, SQ reveals how to recognize those principles in the deeds of historical characters, showing how they practically affect people’s lives. This idea, supported on p. 52b of his autobiography (Ch. 130) explains his claim that with his study, he puts forth one (unique) school of interpretation. Finally, although crushed by the mutilation he suffered (p. 229m and 230tm of the Letter to Ren An in Q) after which on p.237t he writes: “I follow along with the vulgar [omitted], bobbing up and down with the times, sharing their delusion and madness”, SQ’s writings shine- as Mr. Christian pointed out in class, because of his determination to hold on not only to life or to his goal to finish the work he started before this calamity, but by writing with no bitterness or cynicism, and managing to find the strength to hold fast to the good and to moral and humane values.

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