A masterpiece of world literature, Honglou Meng (Dream of the Red Chamber) by Cao Xueqin (1715–1763) is widely considered China’s greatest novel and serves as a compendium of traditional Chinese life and culture during the Qing Dynasty. This guide offers a comprehensive introduction and overview to Honglou Meng, providing more than 200 alphabetical entries describing characters, key events and a wide range of topics, with discussion of important themes and narrative techniques. A brief biography of Cao is included, along with a history of Chinese and English critical receptions, an extensive bibliography and recommended reading.

Ronald R. Gray has taught English at universities in the United States, Japan, South Korea and China. He lives in Gongju, South Korea.

Ronald R. Gray
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 280
Bibliographic Info: 6 photos, appendix, index
Copyright Date: 2022
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8114-6
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4582-7
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments viii
Preface 1
Introduction 7
A Brief Biography of Cao Xueqin 11
Tips on Reading Dream of the Red Chamber 19
The Companion 23
Recommended Reading 255
Index 269