four chinese classical novels

The Great Chinese Classical Novel - Dream of Red Chamber Theme

by livia on Jul 30, 2010

Dream of the Red Chamber, or The Story of the Stone is the greatest masterpiece of Chinese Chinese classical novels of the Ming and Qing dynasties with the most profound influence on later generations. The work is comprised of 120 chapters, the first 80 of which were written by Tsao Hsueh-chin and the remaining 40 by Kao Hgo.

Tsao Hsueh-chin, the author of Dream of the Red Chamber, lived between 1715 and 1763. His ancestral family once held great power. As such, he led a wealthy noble life in Nanjing as a child. When he was 13 or 14, the family was declining and moved to Beijing, where life took a turn for the worse. In his later years, he even led a poor life. Drawing on his own experience, Tsao Hsueh-chin put all his life experiences, poeticized feelings, exploratory spirit and creativity into the greatest work of all time - Dream of the Red Chamber. Drawing its materials from real life, the novel is full of the author’s personal feelings filled with blood and...Read More >>