The Reading History of A Dream of Red Mansions

Li Genliang

Shandong Qilu Press Co.， Ltd.

December 2021

58.00 (CNY)

Li Genliang

Born in Xinmi City， Henan Province， Li Genliang is a doctor of literature and an associate professor at the School of Humanities and New Media， Changjiang University. He headed a host of projects funded by the National Social Science Fund in Hubei Province and published over 20 treatises in journals such as Studies on A Dream of Red Mansions and Wuhan University Journal of Humanity and Social Science. Also， he has had several books published， including" Dissemination and Reception of A Dream of Red Mansions， Religions in A Dream of Red Mansions， Death Is a Mirror， etc.

This book， guided by the modern theory of reading and presented in chronological order， researched into and sorted through the process and history of thoughts and attitudes， affective responses， and behavioral changes from readers through the ages and the world amid reading A Dream of Red Mansions. It discusses the groups， motivation， horizons， modes， and psychology of reading and such issues as the relationship between A Dream of Red Mansions and modern Chinese education and reading in a foreign land. Also， it illustrates how A Dream of Red Mansions has mentally influenced and given guidance to Chinese people and further highlights the positive role of literature reading and literary education in the growth of humans’ life journeys.

Among modern female readers， Lyu Qixiang has a wider horizon than others in reading A Dream of Red Mansions， boasting constructive reading beliefs and an acute and sensitive reading method， displaying an attitude of pursuing the acme of perfection. Lyu， adept at grasping the ideological significance of A Dream of Red Mansions from a macro perspective， believes that “what A Dream of Red Mansions reveals is far more than social tragedy but mental tragedy”， and that what it concerns is “far more than people’s material life， but their state of mind”. As for the strong sense of foreordination and karma in the novel， Lyu explained that no one can completely escape the fate of tragedy and has to approach their tragic ending in their own way， which was partially enlightened by the writer Cao Xueqin’s thinking on the limitations of human nature.

Lyu Qixiang also stressed that A Dream of Red Mansions was blessed with beauty in mystery and transcendence， but to appreciate the utmost aesthetic requires life experience， perception， and wisdom. Hence she proposed in the article “On A Dream of Red Mansions: Start Reading in Fascination and End with a Eurika Moment” that people go through a progressive process of first reading， then rereading， and more reading to get into and admire A Dream of Red Mansions. For those reading for the first time， “mostly they would be attracted by its old-fashioned lifestyle and impressive scenes”; for those reading for the second time， “with a little bit richer experience and patience， they would naturally pay special attention to the traits and fate of the figures in the book”; finally， for those who have had read the book repeatedly and known the stories and characters well， “they will still have fresh understandings one after another”. In addition， Lyu had an accurate evaluation of the characters involved. For instance， evaluating Lin Daiyu from the perspective of traditional Chinese culture， she believes that Daiyu’s courtesy name and style， eyebrows and eyes， personality， and other aspects are of historical， legendary， and folk significance and that the excellent personality accumulation of Daiyu comes from the uprightness and integrity of sages in history. At the same time， this “personality accumulation” is perfectly integrated with the awakening of Daiyu’s individualistic consciousness and poetic disposition， shaping her into a glorious figure.

As a faithful lover of the book， Lyu， senior in age， took A Dream of Red Mansions with her even in a foreign land. In 2004， Lyu， 68 years old， sojourning on the outskirts of New York， with this magnum opus as her companion， wrote an article titled “A Dream of Red Mansions as a Spiritual Home”， in which she said that “This place is sparsely populated and densely-forested. The tranquility doesn’t just linger at night; it also lingers on a sunny day. I’ve brought nothing but A Dream of Red Mansions with me， so I read it carefully from the beginning. It was an inspiring read.”

Like Lyu， Ma Ruifang is also a notable female scholar. Ma， as a wise scholar， outlined the thoughts of A Dream of Red Mansions clearly. She holds that this masterpiece tells of the five major events in our life: first， the philosophical birth of the main character; second， diverse gourmet food; third， a dreamland with infinite fascinating and impressive ideas and wonders; fourth， soul-stirring romance; fifth， death pregnant with meaning. Meanwhile， she put forward that a thread and three subordinate storylines ran through the great work. The thread is Jia Baoyu’s love and marriage， and the three subordinate storylines are the wax and wane of families centering on Jia Yuanchun and Wang Xifeng， the social clues largely based on Xiren and Granny Liu， and the participation of onlookers like Jia Yucun and Zhen Shiyin in the narration. As a Professor of Shandong University， such a clear summary is a great help to teaching. Also， it can help readers understand the thought behind A Dream of Red Mansions.