Probing into the Cause of Argument over Qu Yuan and His Works by Four Literates in the Han Dynasty

All of the four literates in the Han Dynasty, Sima Qian, Yang Xiong, Ban Gu and Wang Yi, made personal comments on Qu Yuan and his works. Compliment, sympathy or criticism are what they demonstrated in their arguments which is of enormous significance to the literary achievement of Qu Yuan and his works and confirms his status in literature history, as a symbol of enhanced self consciousness in literary criticism at that time. This thesis focuses on the examination of unique aesthetical thought and personal life experience of commentators with reference to time philosophy in order to interpret the profound cause of argument over Qu Yuan in the Han Dynasty.