The Story of the Stone also know as The Dream of the Red Chamber Volume 1: The Golden Days

Stock No: WW42936

The Story of the Stone also know as The Dream of the Red Chamber Volume 1: The Golden Days

Name: The Story of the Stone also know as The Dream of the Red Chamber Volume 1: The Golden Days
Price: 18.90 USD
Availability: InStock
ISBN: 9780140442939

By: Cao Xueqin

Penguin Random House / 1974 / Paperback

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Product Description

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Divided into five volumes, of which The Golden Days is the first, it charts the glory and decline of the illustrious Jia family (a story which closely accords with the fortunes of the author's own family). The two main characters, Bao-yu and Dai-yu, are set against a rich tapestry of humour, realistic detail and delicate poetry, which accurately reflects the ritualized hurly-burly of Chinese family life. But over and above the novel hangs the constant reminder that there is another plane of existence - a theme which affirms the Buddhist belief in a supernatural scheme of things.

Product Information

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Title: The Story of the Stone also know as The Dream of the Red Chamber Volume 1: The Golden Days
By: Cao Xueqin
Format: Paperback
Vendor: Penguin Random House
Publication Date: 1974

Dimensions: 8.12 X 5.12 (inches)
Weight: 12 ounces
ISBN: 0140442936
ISBN-13: 9780140442939
Stock No: WW42936

Publisher's Description

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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.

Author Bio

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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.

Editorial Reviews

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"Filled with classical allusions, multilayered wordplay, and delightful poetry, Cao’s novel is a testament to what Chinese literature was capable of. Readers of English are fortunate to have David Hawkes and John Minford’s The Story of the Stone, which distills a lifetime of scholarship and reading into what is probably the finest work of Chinese-to-English literary translation yet produced. You will be rewarded every bit of attention you give it, many times over." —SupChina, "The 100 China Books You Have to Read, Ranked" (#1)