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Essay on Funeral in the Qing period and in the book of "The Story of The Stone" (the Dream of The Red Chamber)
The traditions and rituals of foot-binding, marriage, the relationship between man and woman, ancestor worship, and the New Years celebration affected the lives of people. Such practices were common in Chinese culture of that era, although there were important differences in the practices of the upper and the lower classes. The following paragraphs describe the typical way that the traditions were carried out by the upper class Chinese (Martin, Wolf, 12-14).
The Story of the Stone (also known as The Dream of the Red Chamber), completed in the mid-eighteenth century by Cao Xuegin, is considered China´s greatest novel -but its length and narrative complexity have proven daunting to many modern readers. Now, esteemed scholar of Asian literature Dore J. Levy introduces this timeless work to first-time readers, while also presenting a new method of comparative interpretation for advanced students and scholars. Drawing from literary theory, sociology, religion, and medicine, Levy explores how the classic novel confronts the chasm between social, emotional, and spiritual ideals and their translation into day-to-day reality.
This illuminating work unpacks The Story of the Stone based on the interpretation of four major themes: the inversion of traditional family dynamics, which constitutes the novel’s social framework; the function of illness and medicine in a society where Buddhist notions of karma and retribution exist alongside pragmatic notions of the human body that make up traditional Chinese medicine; the role of poetry in the social structure of dynastic Chinese society; and the use of poetry as a vehicle for spiritual liberation.
The Dream of the Red Chamber is one of the most famous novels in China. Despite the fact that there are over four hundred characters in the story, the author managed to capture the essence of each one brilliantly. All the characters seem to come alive under the author’s pen. One thing worth mentioning is that, Cao actually led a life plagued by poverty.....
