Eadie B. (eadieburke) -
Book Description
The Story of the Stone (c. 1760), also known by the title of The Dream of the Red Chamber, is the great novel of manners in Chinese literature.
Divided into five volumes, The Story of the Stone charts the glory and decline of the illustrious Jia family. This novel re-creates the ritualized hurly-burly of Chinese family life that would otherwise be lost and infuses it with affirming Buddhist belief.
My Review
This is just Volume 1 of a 5 part story that is considered to be the greatest Chinese novel ever written. It is an account of 18th century life in China. I thought it would be a complicated read but it is actually a very easy interesting read. The author has a great insight of the day to day life of the characters which are many. It is filled with supernatural mysticism, themes of what is real, what is not real, love and fate. I look forward to reading the next 4 volumes. I would recommend this story to students of history and those who are interested in 18th century Chinese life.
The Story of the Stone (c. 1760), also known by the title of The Dream of the Red Chamber, is the great novel of manners in Chinese literature.
Divided into five volumes, The Story of the Stone charts the glory and decline of the illustrious Jia family. This novel re-creates the ritualized hurly-burly of Chinese family life that would otherwise be lost and infuses it with affirming Buddhist belief.
My Review
This is just Volume 1 of a 5 part story that is considered to be the greatest Chinese novel ever written. It is an account of 18th century life in China. I thought it would be a complicated read but it is actually a very easy interesting read. The author has a great insight of the day to day life of the characters which are many. It is filled with supernatural mysticism, themes of what is real, what is not real, love and fate. I look forward to reading the next 4 volumes. I would recommend this story to students of history and those who are interested in 18th century Chinese life.
