Author of Dream of the Red Chamber: Cao Xueqin, a literary giant
2024-05-09 13:46:44 中文版

"Dream of the Red Chamber", as one of the four great classic novels of ancient China, has won the love of readers since its publication with its profound social depiction and rich character images. However, there has been controversy about the author of this great work in history. Nevertheless, after in-depth research by the academic community, it is now generally believed that the author of "Dream of the Red Chamber" is Cao Xueqin, a famous literary figure in the Qing Dynasty.

Cao Xueqin lived during the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong periods of the Qing Dynasty. He was born into an official family and was exposed to excellent culture since childhood. However, due to the decline of his family, Cao Xueqin's life was not affluent. His life was filled with ups and downs and setbacks, undoubtedly providing rich material for the depiction of life's vicissitudes in "Dream of the Red Chamber".

"Dream of the Red Chamber", originally named "The Story of the Stone", describes the love story of characters such as Jia Baoyu, Lin Daiyu, and Xue Baochai, as well as the rise and fall of the four great families of Jia, Shi, Wang, and Xue. The novel takes Jia Baoyu's life experiences as the main thread, and through the portrayal of the fates of many women in the Grand View Garden, it shows the full picture of feudal society. The characters in the novel are vivid and distinct, the plots are tortuous and captivating, and the language is elegant and fluent, possessing extremely high artistic value.

Unfortunately, "Dream of the Red Chamber" was not fully completed. According to historical records, Cao Xueqin made multiple revisions to the manuscript during the creative process but ultimately failed to finish the entire book. The versions that are currently circulated mainly include the re-evaluation of "The Story of the Stone" by Zhi Yan Zhai and Cheng Jia Ben, Cheng Yi Ben, etc. Although they have been collated and supplemented by later generations, it is difficult to verify the complete appearance of the original work.

Regarding the authorship of "Dream of the Red Chamber", although there have been doubts raised in history, with the passage of time and the deepening of research, more and more evidence indicates that Cao Xueqin is the main creator of "Dream of the Red Chamber". This is reflected not only in the content and style of the novel but also in the high degree of coincidence with Cao Xueqin's life experiences.

Overall, "Dream of the Red Chamber" is a treasure of ancient Chinese literature, and its author is the famous literary figure Cao Xueqin of the Qing Dynasty. Although this great work was not fully completed, the humanity, society, and cultural implications it exhibits still deeply attract us. By reading "Dream of the Red Chamber", we can better understand the social landscape and people's thoughts and emotions of that era.

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