• The Dream of the Red Chamber, or The Story of the Stone
Description: China's greatest novel, this 120-chapter masterpiece written in the 18th century charts the decline of a great aristocratic family from its peak of imperial favor to its disgrace through financial mismanagement and social decadence. The main characters are unforgettable adolescents portrayed with fine psychological complexity; the Buddhist/Daoist frame structure adds an allegorical quality to the story. Details of daily life in traditional China are recounted with loving care and the complex social relationships in a very large extended family are related with striking realism. (Recommended translations: Chi-chen Wang, trans. Dream of the Red Chamber. New York: Anchor/Doubleday, 1958. This single-volume abridged edition has been adapted and simplified; many details are missing, but the flavor still comes through. || David Hawkes, trans. The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber. Viking Press, 1974. 5 volumes. $15. A complete and delightfully idiomatic translation that faithfully reflects the complexity and sophistication of the original. A reading of volume one only would be worthwhile.)
Contact: Local Library or Bookstore
Resource Type: Book/Textbook
Time Period: 1450-1770
Subject: Literature; Society and Culture
Country: China
|
