Title

Origins of the 80-Chapter Edition of the Story of the Stone

Author

Hing-ho Chan

Genre

Article  

Pages

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Language

Key words

Story of the Stone, Dream of the Red Mansions, Mirror for the Romantic

Abstract

      From the available source material, it may be seen that there are three stages in the composition of the 80-chapter edition of the Story of the Stone: the original manuscripts entitled Feng-yueh pao-chien (A Mirror for the Romantic), the revised version entitled Hung lou meng (A Dream of the Red mansions) and the still incomplete shih-t’ou-chi (The Story of the Stone). The fact that with each revision the heroes and heroines of the novel grow younger indicates the change of treatment from romantic love of the youth to innocent affection of the adolescent. Chia Yuan-ch’un’s construction of Ta-kuan yuan (Prospect Garden) is to accommodate such a change. The enlargement of the Chia household reflects another difference between the old and the new versions.