The Dreamer Wakes (The Story of the Stone, or The Dream of the Red Chamber, Volume 5)

I read the original Chinese version of this book when I was in high school, many years ago. At that time, my impression was that it was a Chinese Romeo and Juliet type tragic love story, in which the main characters Bao-yu and his cousin Dai-yu (Black Jade) suffered the fate of unfulfilled love, and no ever after. There was more to it than that, but I could not figure out what.

Recently, I re-read the book (the current trans- lated version). This time it sounded like the Adven- tures of Tom Jones, in which the teen-aged playboy Bao-yu was dallying in the ranks of the female members of his household (his cousins and maids), longing after many but only truly loving Dai-yu.

It was also a bit similar to Upstairs Downstairs -- a big noble clan with all its ladies, young misses and maids, and their lives of adventures and tears. But something was still missing. There was a theme, a message, which draws me and others to this great work of literature.

I finally figured it out: Almost all the WOMEN in this book were described as elegant, sophisticated, intelligent, graceful, excellent decision makers, and above all, beautiful. Most MEN, however, were described as fools, red-necks, unfaithful, heart-breakers, nogooders, users of prostitutes and abusers of power!

What I am looking at is a book (or one-MAN crusade) of Early Feminism. It is all the more remarkable because in feudal China, women did not have equal status. "marrying for love" seldom existed. It was more like "married by parental arrangement". Poor girls were sold as maids into rich households, or worse, they were sold as second wives or concubines.

The confirmation of my theory came from the author Cao himself. In his introductory book review, he said, "Thus begins this book ... I have hidden the real events and substituted them with fiction ... There were real persons in the inner-chambers, and their stories must be told ..." (Modern translation: I have real women in my household).

This message would make this a truly revolutionary work, not only in feudal China, but even to-day.

Should have first read the book review by the author.


One of the greatest novels ever written   January 18, 2001
James Elkins (Chicago, IL USA)
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

I read the other reviews on this page, and I thought I should add something: this novel is unbelievably beautifully written, and the English translation is absolutely superb.

You cannot find any better example of novel-writing skill in any language.


I think I can't use only "good" to describe such a good book   December 4, 1998
8 out of 10 found this review helpful

The book gives us a complete picture of the feudal societ of China.It exposes the rot of the late Qing Dynasty of China.What makes people moved most is the tragic love story between Lin Daiyu and Jia Baoyu.Its exquisite style of writing and variegated description do great credit to its success.Some forfather has said that it was an encyclopaedia of the feudal society of China,and I do agree with it.I think that the most valuable point of this book,is that it denounces the cruel percecution which has been done to women by the feudalism--the feudal system,and it embodies the author's thoughts that women should be respecte and be equal to men.In that society,these are rare and valuable.


Really good but where are Volumes 2-4?   November 20, 2007
D. Moore (Cleveland Heights, Ohio United States)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

I really enjoyed this book, a part of my self-directed curriculum to understand China (all of which, by the way, has been incredible). Not only are the characterizations excellent and the period wonderfully evoked (at least to my knowledge), but there's all sorts of great maid sex and other bawdy hilarious stuff. The only question I have now is why does it seem like Volumes 2-4 are not available... although vol. 5 is? Maybe I'm overlooking something obvious, as persons with Chinese maid sex on the brain are wont to do.


Fitting Conclusion   September 19, 2008
Lothe
0 out of 1 found this review helpful

After close to 2,000 pages, "The Story of the Stone" reaches its end with this volume. This book represents the second set of 20 chapters out of the 40 reputedly edited and redacted by Gao E, and arguments about the chapters' validity (both as a work in themselves and as part of Cao Xueqin's novel) are a sort of scholarly pastime.

The most salient comment on the problem may be the one offered by John Minford when he writes that regardless of academic debates, these chapters are what we have, and they "have been accepted as *the* ending for centuries." Minford's translation continues to be a worthy successor to David Hawkes' version of the first 80 chapters, and I found this last volume to be more satisfying than I had often heard.

At this point, recommendations are all but moot; no one should be starting the story here, and if you've come this far there's no good reason not to read the last 400 pages.

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