史傳在中古文學研究中扮演重要的角色︰當我們要研究一位詩人時，必定會參考、引用相關傳記材料。只是，我們從這類史傳材料所得出的，究竟是什麼樣的訊息？或者說，這些史傳「傳達」了什麼訊息給我們？本文以西晉詩人左思的傳記材料為例，試圖探索此一問題。本文應用三種不同的溝通範式 —「訊息」 (information)、「影響」 (influence)與「連結」 (connection)—來解讀左思的傳記材料。本文指出，最習見的「訊息」範式，其價值固然不可忽略，然而，另外兩種溝通範式 —即「影響」與「連結」 —應用在史傳上，所能產生的解釋力，值得我們注意。本文不僅認為左思相關傳記材料較適合從影響與連結的面向去解讀，更認為中古文學研究對史傳的通行用法，即以汲取傳記中「訊息」為主的方式，可藉此予以反思。

When we want information about an early medieval Chinese poet, we turn to his biography in a dynastic history, and to other related kinds of early medieval sources. The purpose of this essay is to explore what it is we can get from these sources, or what it is that these sources “communicate” to us. To do so, three paradigms of communication are invoked: information, influence, and connection. The limited argument is that extant biographical materials on the Western Jin poet Zuo Si are most fruitfully read in terms of “influence” and “connection” – and less fruitfully for “information.” The more general argument is that our standard information-based way of utilizing biographical source material should be supplemented by closer attention to the persuasive qualities of biographical writing and, especially, to the connective patterns that emerge within a text and across a body of texts.