Collection of Offering Celery (Discussions on Appreciating Hongloumeng)

Author: Zhou Ruchang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-11-01
Features: This book is one of the important works by the renowned redologist and classical poetry scholar Zhou Ruchang on discussing and appreciating Dream of the Red Chamber. It includes over fifty important essays such as "A New Determination of Cao Xueqin's Birth and Death Years—Cao Xueqin in Mao Zhai Poetry Collection," "Cao Xueqin's Family History and Life," "The Plot and Structure of Dream of the Red Chamber," "Several Aspects of Redology," "A Corner of Appreciating Dream of the Red Chamber," and "Behind the 'Complete Work' of Dream of the Red Chamber," covering various aspects of the novel, including the family history of Dream of the Red Chamber, its editions, artistic elements, cultural references, portraits of Cao Xueqin, and the state of redology. Readers can fully appreciate Zhou's unique insights and evaluations, as well as his meticulous effort to interpret Dream of the Red Chamber within the broader context of Chinese culture. The turbulent history of redology over the past half-century can also be glimpsed here. Additionally, the book includes eight letters from the author to Hu Shi from the late 1940s. These valuable writings document a significant moment in redological history during a time of impending change half a century ago. All the letters included in this book have been meticulously checked against their facsimile copies for reference by readers and scholars.