Dream of the Red Chamber Series - Liu Xinwu's Comments on the Dream of the Red Chamber

Author: Liu Xinwu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: How many times has the moon in the Dream of the Red Chamber been full? It can be estimated that the first eighty chapters must be "the moon sets, crows cry, frost covers the sky," with Qin Keqing hidden in Ningguo Mansion, the assets of Zhen's family from Nanjing, which had been investigated, being hidden and transferred to Rongguo Mansion, and other various crimes—all being "cleansed by the scorching sun." The grand collapse is like a towering mansion toppling, the dim and tragic scene is like a lamp about to burn out, and the mountains of bones forget their names—! The greatness of the Dream of the Red Chamber lies in its ability to achieve a whole school of thought through a single novel, known as "Red Studies." "Red Studies" was originally a playful term for scholars and literati during the Qing Dynasty, but its academic status was firmly established in the 1920s with the founding of the New Red Studies. Some even said, "This is a great achievement worthy of being inscribed on the Lingyan Pavilion," demonstrating the accomplishments and influence of New Red Studies. Moreover, scholars of great erudition such as Wang Guowei, Cai Yuanpei, and Hu Shi offered critiques of the Dream of the Red Chamber, publishing their works as monographs, which had a profound impact on both their time and posterity. The authors selected in this series are all renowned experts in "Red Studies" or distinguished figures in other fields, with the aim of enabling readers to appreciate the Dream of the Red Chamber from a higher perspective. The selected articles are chosen without regard to academic viewpoints, cultural backgrounds, or political inclinations. In terms of form, they include both lengthy discourses and short, miscellaneous essays. Chronologically, they span a wide range, and during the technical editing process, efforts were made to preserve their original appearance. To balance academic rigor and readability, the articles are arranged not by publication date but in a way that considers both aspects.