Dream of the Red Chamber’s enduring legacy
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AS a pillar of early-modern Chinese fiction, the “Dream of the Red Chamber” (also sometimes known as “Dream of the Red Mansion” and “Story of the Stone” in English translations, but henceforward referred to as the Red Chamber) by Cao Xueqin (1715-1763) has long been universally acknowledged as a masterpiece in terms of its literary achievement and influence.
One product of its oversized influence is the field of redology, the academic study of Cao’s life and his seminal work.
At a recent forum held at Fudan University, scholars and experts in the field of redology reflected on the novel’s place in contemporary society 300 years after the birth of its author.
Hu Deping, a retired official who now chairs the Beijing-based Cao Xueqin Society, said in his opening remarks that redology has existed as a literary discipline for almost a century but now needs to incorporate new perspectives and methodologies.
Many of the difficulties facing redologists stem from a dearth of archival material which might shed new light on the many unknown aspects of Cao’s life, said Zhan Dan, vice dean of Shanghai Normal University’s Humanities and Communications College.
In his opinion, although the Red Chamber has been well received inside China, and has been brilliantly translated into different languages, it has yet to be universally regarded as a work of international acclaim.
As an example, Zhan referenced a recent work by French author Pierre Lepape, entitled “Une Histoire des Romans D’amour,” or “A History of Romantic Novels.”
Glaring omission
In this book, Lepape lists what he believes are the 86 greatest romances of all time. His list represents a rich body of world literature, ranging from ancient greek myths to modern works from Japanese novelist and playwright Yukio Mishima. Red Chamber, however, did not make the cut. This, in Zhan’s view, is a glaring omission and a sad reminder of the relative obscurity of the Red Chamber abroad.
Meanwhile, Chen Weizhao, a senior researcher with the Department of Chinese Language and Literature at Fudan University, claimed that the novel is in danger of being reduced to the level of kitsch at home.
Chen dismissed popular forms of presenting the Red Chamber, especially televised lectures focused on its more sensational aspects, such as murder, voyeurism and decadence. Chen argued that such sensationalism cheapens the value of the novel, which is essentially a panorama of life and social structures typical among the 18th-century Chinese aristocracy, Chen noted.
In his speech, Wang Defeng, professor of philosophy at Fudan University, pointed out that the Red Chamber owes its fame to timeless themes which are still relevant in modern China. Take the character of Ping’er, said Wang. As the chief maid and personal confidante of a female aristocrat, she is roughly equivalent to a modern-day government secretary, explained Wang. He added that Ping’er represents a perennial feudal class which today is composed of petty bureaucrats.
The Red Chamber is also insightful in its portrayal of destiny and social circumstances, Want told the forum, adding that readers today can still draw parallels between the past and present in this respect.
Hu concurred. The chairman of the Cao Xueqin Society has spent more than three decades perusing and studying the novel, convinced that its lasting popularity is a result of its “close connections to reality.”
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