DREAM OF THE RED CHAMBER

WadeGiles romanization Hung Lou Meng, Pinyin Hong Lou Meng, novel written by Ts'ao Chan (1715?63), generally considered to be the greatest of all Chinese novels. The work, published in English as Dream of the Red Chamber (1929), first appeared in manuscript form in Peking during Ts'ao Chan's lifetime. In 1791, almost 30 years after Ts'ao's death, the novel was published in a complete version of 120 chapters prepared by Ch'eng Wei-yuan and Kao E. Controversy still goes on as to whether the final 40 chapters were actually forged by Kao E, substantially written by Ts'ao Chan and simply discovered and put into final form by Ch'eng and Kao, or perhaps composed by an unknown author. The novel is a blend of realism and romance, psychological motivation and fate, daily life and supernatural occurrences. A series of episodes rather than a strongly plotted work, it details the decline of the Chia family, composed of two main branches, with a proliferation of kinsmen and servants. There are 30 main characters and more than 400 minor ones. The major focus, however, is on young Pao-y, the gifted but obstinate heir of the clan. Spoiled by his mother and grandmother, he is continually reprimanded by his strict Confucian father, who especially abhors Pao-y's intimacy with his numerous female cousins and maidservants. Most notable among these relations are the melancholy Tai-y (Black Jade), Pao-y's ill-fated love, and the vivacious Pao-ch'ai (Precious Clasp), Pao-y's eventual wife. The work and the character Pao-y himself are generally thought to be semi-autobiographical creations of Ts'ao Chan. Its portrait of the extended family reflects a faithful image of upper-class life in the early Ch'ing dynasty (16441911/12), while the variety of individual character portraits reveals a psychological depth considered not previously approached in Chinese literature.