Abstract:

 Both Xiao Tong and Liu Zhiji try to distinguish between literature and History, although they live a slightly different age. Xiao tong' s disposal of the devision is simple. In Selected Works edited chiefly by him, he expels all historical works, just mentioning them in Preface. But Liu Zhiji is different. While he insists on the division of literature and history in dealing with numerous relevant works, he accepts the fact that many works are truly hard to distinguish between. Therefore he classifies the socalled "storybooks emphasizing record", and gives a different evaluation according to the content, thus making these works obtain the legitimacy of a certain existence. Evidently it is sensible for Liu Zhiji, facing the situation of hardness to distinguish between literature and history, to insist on a clear distinction and, at the same time, not to go to extremes.

Key words: A Brief Survey of the Track of Literature , History in Division and Reunion,  Comment on the LiteratureHistory Views of Xiao Tong and Liu Zhiji