The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber, Vol. 1: The Golden Days - Softcover

Cao Xueqin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0140442936 ISBN 13: 9780140442939

Publisher: Penguin Classics, 1974

Synopsis

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.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

About this title

About the Author:

Cao Xueqin (1715-63) was born into a family which for three generations held the office of Commissioner of Imperial Textiles in Nanking, a family so wealthy they were able to entertain the Emperor four times. However, calamity overtook them and their property was consfiscated. Cao Xueqin was living in poverty when he wrote his famous novel The Story of the Stone.

Language Notes:

Text: English, Chinese (translation)

About this edition

• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Publication date: 1974
• ISBN 10: 0140442936
• ISBN 13: 9780140442939
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 540