Supplement to the Dream of the Red Chamber
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Summary
The Taoist of the Void, having handed the transcribed Story of the Stone to Cao Xueqin in the Mourning-the-Red Studio for revision and transmission, soon heard that it was indeed ringing like gold and that paper had grown dear in Luoyang. The Taoist was delighted, thinking he had not failed to transcribe this extraordinary work and had done the world no small service. Little did he know that after some time he suddenly heard of four new books: The Later Dream of the Red Chamber, A Dream in a Fine Tower, The Sequel to the Dream of the Red Chamber, and The Dream of the Red Chamber Restored. Startled, the Taoist hurriedly obtained and read them all. They no longer had the tone of the Story of the Stone; their errors were countless and their absurdities outrageous.
Editor's review
Supplement to the Dream of the Red Chamber is a sequel to Dream of the Red Chamber. Its author, Langhuan Shanqiao, speaks through the Taoist of the Void to criticize the sequels that had appeared at the time—The Later Dream of the Red Chamber, A Dream in a Fine Tower, The Sequel to the Dream of the Red Chamber, and The Dream of the Red Chamber Restored—holding that they are "full of errors" and "outrageous and absurd" and have lost the tone of the original. This opening stance is itself telling: it shows the reader both the bustle of sequel-writing in the Qing dynasty and the mutual scrutiny and rivalry among sequel writers. The value of reading this book lies not in treating it as a substitute for or extension of Cao Xueqin's original but in using it as a specimen of the reception history of Red Chamber studies and of the sequel phenomenon, observing how later writers understood, continued, and even rewrote the characters and endings of Dream of the Red Chamber. The narration has a marked imitative and discursive quality, and both its plotting and its language differ from the original; readers should read it with a comparative eye, noting its choices and deviations rather than simply praising or condemning it by the standard of the original. For enthusiasts of Red Chamber culture, it is a side window onto the ecology of sequels.
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Readers interested in sequels to Dream of the Red Chamber and the reception history of Red Chamber studies
- University literature students studying the phenomenon of Qing-dynasty novel sequels
- Red Chamber enthusiasts who have read the original thoroughly and want to compare how different sequels handle it
- Collectors of editions of classical novel sequels concerned with textual change
Not a good fit for
- Readers who have not yet read the original Dream of the Red Chamber and want an introduction to the classic
- Readers expecting a sequel of comparable quality to the original
- Readers who prefer modern vernacular narrative and are unused to classical novel style
Reading tips
- First read the original Dream of the Red Chamber through, becoming familiar with the characters and main endings, before moving on to compare sequels.
- As you read, note differences between this book and the original in characterization and plot, building a comparative record.
- Read it alongside other Qing-dynasty sequels to observe how different authors approached the same material.
- Treat the Taoist of the Void's remarks in the opening as the key to the author's stance, and read the rest with questions in mind.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 第一回 贾雨村醒悟觉迷渡甄士隐详说芙蓉城
- 第二回 林黛玉夜照风月镜金鸳鸯魂归离恨天
- 第三回 甄香菱云路拜严亲史太君他乡救仆妇
- 第四回 贾夫人遇母黄泉路林如海觅女酆都城
- 第五回 青埂峰湘莲逢宝玉观音庵凤姐遇秦锺
- 第六回 鸳鸯凤姐各遂初心宝玉湘莲同证大道
- 第七回 两好同床岫烟教夫四喜临门宝钗生子
- 第八回 史湘云三宣新酒令刘姥姥再醉荣国府
- 第九回 薛蝌中举何用生疑平儿生子允宜称快
- 第十回 新孝廉迎巧姐出阁官媒婆与贾兰说亲
- 第十一回 平儿连与两侄为媒黛玉公向元妃祝寿
- 第十二回 警幻仙诗和贾元妃薛宝钗书寄林黛玉
- 第十三回 遗帕相思今朝勾帐寻春心事他日开怀
- 第十四回 花氏袭人错认宝玉椿龄鹤仙喜遇蔷芹
- 第十五回 花袭人酬恩荣国府贾惜春梦入芙蓉城
- 第十六回 林如海观书疑黛玉贾夫人借故问鸳鸯
- 第十七回 贾母恶狗村玩新景凤姐望乡台泼旧醋
- 第十八回 张金哥逢贾母喊冤夏金桂遇冯渊从良
- 第十九回 好友朋同志更同行胞弟兄相逢不相识
- 第二十回 沁芳桥临流生画稿栊翠庵静坐斗棋机
- 第二十一回 秋芳补画大观园图贾环承袭荣国世职
- 第二十二回 锦香院薛文起得妾盐运司贾探春留亲
- 第二十三回 柳湘莲再力救薛蟠花袭人重错认宝玉
- 第二十四回 林如海升任转轮王王熙凤归还太虚境
- 第二十五回 贾探春荣归宁父母薛宝钗雪夜拟诗题
- 第二十六回 王夫人复作消寒会贾探春重征咏雪诗
- 第二十七回 傅秋芳诗社赓前日薛宝钗酒令忆先年
- 第二十八回 卜世仁与倪二醉打贾郎中向裘良说情
- 第二十九回 佳子弟拜家塾先生群丽人迎芙蓉城主
- 第三十回 警幻宫歌红楼余音芙蓉城舞鸳鸯宝剑
- 第三十一回 贾宝玉解衬衣慰婢孙绍祖拔佩刀杀人
- 第三十二回 孙绍祖鼎烹转轮府贾元妃高会赤霞宫
- 第三十三回 史太君聚会离恨天林如海赴任都城隍
- 第三十四回 榆荫堂前大放烟火大观楼上看闹花灯
- 第三十五回 春灯谜儿童清夜戏闹花灯闺阁赏元宵
- 第三十六回 稻香村上已踏青游榆荫堂清明风筝会
- 第三十七回 贾惜春尸解大观园史太君示梦荣国府
- 第三十八回 晴雯姐昼责善保妇林黛玉夜会薛宝钗
- 第三十九回 城隍府贾母庆生辰芙蓉城宝玉建诗社
- 第四十回 怡红院灯火夜谈书蘅芜院管弦新学曲
- 第四十一回 大观园荷露共烹茶藕香榭采莲群赋景
- 第四十二回 大观园中金盆蟋蟀怡红院里锦盒蜘蛛
- 第四十三回 秋爽斋重阳群赏菊怡红院除夕共联诗
- 第四十四回 琼林宴贾甄同蕊榜大观园昆仲并完姻
- 第四十五回 凹晶馆赏桂赋新词城隍府玩月歌旧曲
- 第四十六回 众金钗暖香坞会饮群丽人紫菱渊看梅
- 第四十七回 椿龄女剧演红香圃薛宝钗梦登芙蓉城
- 第四十八回 甄士隐重渡急流津贾雨村再结红楼梦
FAQ
Can I read this sequel without having read Dream of the Red Chamber?
It is not advisable. The book's characters and plot are built on the original, and the opening immediately evaluates several sequels; without the original as background it will be hard to grasp its choices and deviations. It is best to become familiar with the main characters and endings of Dream of the Red Chamber first, then read the sequel, so as to see the author's intent in continuing and rewriting.
Is this sequel close in style to the original?
There is a clear distance. The book has an imitative and discursive quality, and both its plotting and its language differ from Cao Xueqin's original. Readers should approach it comparatively and as research, focusing on how it understands the original's characters and endings, rather than simply measuring its literary merit by the standard of the original.
How does reading this book help in understanding Red Chamber studies?
It offers a concrete specimen for observing the Qing-dynasty vogue for Red Chamber sequels. The opening criticism of several sequels reflects the different understandings of Dream of the Red Chamber held by readers and writers of the time. Reading it within the genealogy of sequels helps one recognize how the original was continually continued, rewritten, and reinterpreted as it circulated.
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About the author
嫏嬛山樵
Author
Langhuan Shanqiao is a Qing dynasty novelist whose real name and life details are not clearly recorded, and public information about the author is limited. Only one work survives under this name, Supplement to Dream of the Red Chamber (Bu Honglou Meng), commonly classified under Eastern philosophy. The book belongs to the tradition of sequels to Dream of the Red Chamber, continuing the original characters and plotlines and attempting an alternative resolution to the decline of the Jia household and the fates of Baoyu and Daiyu. The author follows the chapter-based vernacular novel form, with a leisurely narrative pace, attention to domestic life and human relations, and reflections on worldly prosperity and decline voiced through the characters. As a sequel, it reflects Qing readers' concern with the novel's ending and their enthusiasm for re-creation.
