SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The thesis will be divided into three main sections 1. The Life of Liu Hsiang, 2. The works of Liu Hsiang. 5. The Hsin Hsu. 1. The Life of Liu Hsiang; A translation of the Biography of Liu Hsiang in the Ch'ien Han Shuj a synopsis of this Biography, together with notes on the dates of his birth and death etc. 2. The works of Liu Hsiang; A list of his works, with the history of their transmission, drawn from the Literary Chapters of the Histories, With notes on works still extant. 3. The Hsin Hsu; The main section of the thesis; consisting of a complete analysis of the book, and selected translations of representative stories; subject-titles have been given to the stories, and characters appearing in them indexed. Where the same story occurs in other books of the Han and pre-Han period, references have been given to them, the texts have been collated, and the connection between the Hsin Hsu and the other versions of the story has been commented upon. A section has been devoted to the structure of the work and its characteristics. The findings are summarized.