Decode the Time Code of the Dream of the Red Chamber

Author: Chen Lin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: This book reveals the real chronological sequence hidden in the 120 chapters of the novel through solid evidence. It uncovers the actual birth dates of Jia Baoyu, Yuan Chun, Tanchun, and their literary archetypes through close reading of the text and historical research. For the first time, it rigorously argues, with direct evidence, that the true author of the existing 120 chapters of the novel is Cao Fu and determines his exact birth and death dates, laying a solid textual and historical foundation for the literary research and historical of Dream of the Red Chamber. This book confirms for the first time that Cao Xueqin is the son of Cao Fu, and through compelling textual analysis and substantial historical research, it determines his exact birth and death dates, acknowledging his significant contribution to Dream of the Red Chamber. This book reveals the true identity of the annotator Lishi Zhai on the early manuscripts of the novel, who is actually the true author, Cao Fu, and exposes the frauds of the forger Qiji Susou, the annotations of the "Jing Zang" manuscript, and the "Cao Xueqin Tombstone (Tombstone)." This book completely dismantles the subjective conjectures of a century of Red Chamber Studies in terms of methodology, evidence, and arguments, proposes a definitive resolution to the mysteries of Red Chamber Studies that have puzzled scholars for over 200 years, and declares the "mainstream Red Chamber Studies" to be completely bankrupt. This book serves as a classic example of applying the close reading method of the literary criticism school "the New Criticism" to interpret long novels. The research principles and methods of this book continue the fine academic tradition of the Qian-Jia "Baoxue" (Literalism) that seeks truth from facts, and will play a certain role in warning and correcting the flaws in the current field of literary research. This book covers a wide range of knowledge related to Red Chamber Studies, astronomy and calendar systems, official systems and folk customs, the Eight Characters (BaZi) destiny theory, and historical anecdotes, making it rich in information, well-structured, rigorous in argumentation, and balanced in emotion and reason. The writing is vivid and fluent, logical reasoning is easy to follow, and the keen insight of Sherlock Holmes is perfectly complemented by the profound and extensive talent of a historian and literary scholar.