Research on the Composition of "Dream of the Red Chamber"

Author: Shen Zhijun
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-03-01
Features: Cao Xueqin's creation of Dream of the Red Chamber was a "decade of painstaking effort." Attempting to reproduce this "ten years of review and five revisions" process, as well as the organization and circulation of early manuscripts, is simply beyond one's capabilities. It is often said that history cannot be fully restored, and thus the process of Dream of the Red Chamber's composition is even more difficult to completely reconstruct. We do not know how far we can go, but we have a modest aspiration: even a small step forward is better. As Xunzi said, "Without accumulating small steps, one cannot reach a thousand miles." This book is based on Professor Shen Zhijun's doctoral dissertation and for the first time integrates textual research, authorial life studies, and textual analysis to systematically, comprehensively, and deeply explore the composition of Dream of the Red Chamber.
Focusing on the idea of "a single draft undergoing multiple revisions," the author conducts a comprehensive argument on the evolutionary process from The Precious Mirror of Wind and Moon to Dream of the Red Chamber, examining four aspects: style, time and space, plot and characters, and documentary and historical materials. The book confronts textual contradictions, emphasizes the examination of documentary and historical evidence, and pays close attention to textual interpretation, proposing original insights in many respects.